No Cure
by T-Riplett
Summary: Callie and Arizona are teenagers in a new and exciting relationship. What happens when infected species take over the world? What will they go through and will it bring them closer or father apart?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first FanFic. Yay! The story is told from Arizona's POV but may change in the future. These first two chapters are bland and mostly consist of background information. I needed a way to start the story, but I promise more action and dialog in the next few chapters. This chapter is also shorter than the others, but I'll work on that too. Review to let me know if you want me to continue the story or any ideas to help me improve. Hope you like it!**

**Chapter 1**

**Tuesday, December 3****rd**

My alarm went off at 6:00am as it does every day. Senior year of high school is demanding and requires hard work, determination, and early arrival. My parents were super supportive the first two years of my high school journey, but soon lacked after I came out the end of sophomore year. As time has passed, they've managed to agree on my educational choices and class progress, but lack to respect my social life. Without their complete support, I've struggled these last two years. My grades are fantastic, but it's a hassle to get the freedom I want.

I put a worn Marilyn Monroe tee over the dirty tank I had slept in. I try to find a clean pair of jeans when I notice the light on my phone start to flicker followed by buzzing. It's 6:30am which only meant one thing for me; my girlfriend was calling to check in before school. It had become a common routine for us of the mornings; whoever was up first, called the other.

Calliope and I have been dating for three months now and our relationship felt strong for us to be two teenagers. We met in AP history, which was a class I had dropped the previous semester with several other students because the instructor was horrible, and one Callie signed up for when she transferred from Miami. I'm not sure Seattle is much better with our constant rain, but I'm glad she's here. My parents haven't paid her much attention and neither has Callie's mother. To them, our relationship is useless and thinks Callie and I shouldn't see each other because we're leaving for college in the summer. We attempt to see each other during the week after school and meet on weekends to hang with friends or go out for a quick dinner date.

I answered my phone, slipping it between my head and shoulder as I put a pair of tattered jeans over my lacey pink underwear, "Hey."

"Hey," hearing her voice never failed to make me smile, "You're going to come over after school right?"

"Callie, I told you I have that meeting with Principal Webber after Lit."

"Arizonaaa. You promised. We have tests coming up and you know we won't be able to see each other much. After your stunt in class, you went home and didn't answer any of my calls." I could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"I know, I know. I'll come to your house after I'm finished with the meeting?" There was a long pause. "Callie."

"I guess that would work, but Arizona…you better come."

I smiled into the phone as I replied, "I promise."

After hanging up, I hurried to put the rest of my outfit together and gather my school necessities into my satchel. As I walk past my dresser, I grab some perfume to spray over my chest so I wouldn't smell like the bum I resembled. Passing my parents in the kitchen, I quickly tell them my schedule for the day which has become a requirement to leave the house.

"I'm going to Callie's after school today. I'll be home…whenever." I make my way around the counter and grab a freshly baked muffin.

My mother followed me with her eyes, "Don't you have a test Friday?"

"Yeah, mom, but Callie could help me study...or something."

My father didn't look up from the newspaper as he spoke, "Like you guys would actually study."

I take a bite of muffin and shrug my shoulders. The man does have a point. Callie and I tried to study together before; it usually ending with a make-out session later interrupted by her sister, Aria.

"You know Timothy would be running around doing the same exact thing."

My brother, Tim, joined the army not too long ago and I miss him. When he was here, my parents never asked about my daily agenda, or hissed at me for talking to girls. Timothy always had my back and I had his. We would go out on the weekends with our friends to catch a movie then go to eat, trying to pick girls up. Since he left, it's only me in this battle.

My father scrunched his nose, "Yes, but Tim is a young man."

"And I'm a young woman. I think I know what responsibility is, dad."

He looks to my mother, "Barbra, please tell your daughter it's best to come home after school."

Mom looked down at her muffin which suddenly became very interesting, "As long as she promises to study, I don't see the problem with…"

"My word!" Dad grabbed the rest of the paper he was planning to read and made his way to the living room, my mother tried to stop him as he walked by.

"Daniel she…"

I glanced at my mom as I opened the kitchen door connected to the garage, "So…"

My mom sighed as she lowered her head into her hand and rubbed her temple, "Promise me you'll study?"

"Yep!"

I'm not sure if my mother had heard me, but I was ready to get this day over with. I had a meeting with Principal Webber because I had a mishap in my new history class yesterday. The snobbier, more sexually assertive guy of the bunch decided it would be a good idea to confront me in front of my peers and mock my sexuality repeatedly. After taking his crap for a full five minutes, I performed a take-down maneuver Tim had taught me one day when he came back from boot camp. The history teacher, who I honestly think is gay himself, vouched for me and manage to keep me from suspension, but not from the principal's ruthless speeches. Webber was so busy he barely that day. He sent me home early, though I just waited the rest of the day out at the football field. He didn't call my parents, but asked me to come back after school today.

School didn't go as smoothly as I wanted it to. I was only through my second class of the day and I needed to regroup at my locker. Jackson Avery, the quarterback of our champion football team, came up to strike up a conversation.

"Arizona Robbins. I always knew you were the type of girl to put a guy in his place; I just never thought you actually had the balls to do it. Everyone at school keeps talking about how you took Sloan down in AP history. I'm proud." He patted his hands on my shoulders as I searched for a place to put my math book.

"I didn't want to do it, but…"

"He call you dyke?" Avery interrupted.

"That and a bunch of other shit that's not up for discussion Avery." I turned to give him and tiring look.

"What did Torres do when she saw it go down?"

"She was upset, but not surprised, didn't do much? I'm not sure how she really felt about it all. I didn't want to talk afterwards so we didn't meet up so…yeah."

"So you guys'll make-out later as a substitute right?" He gives me a wink.

Before I tell him off, Jackson's girlfriend, Stephanie, runs up out of nowhere and lays a big kiss on his lips.

"Hey babe. Arizona…"

"Stephanie." I turn around, rolling my eyes as I pretend to look for something in my locker.

Stephanie looks to Jackson, "What are you guys talking about?"

"How Arizona owned some guy in AP history yesterday."

"Oh yeah, I've heard about that; rumor is you left him with a broken nose."

That girl's over enthusiastic voice wasn't making my day any better. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Derrick Shepard and Meredith Grey walking towards us. Derrick is president of the science club and is probably the only reason I passed biology last year. Grey's mother used to be the principal until she developed Alzheimer's and had to retire early. They've been together since freshmen year and the couple everyone seems to admire.

Derrick stands himself next to me, "Arizona! Just the person I wanted to see. You going to tell us what happened yesterday?"

"Everybody's talking about it." Meredith adds.

I hang my head between my arms stationed on the wall and top of my locker door. "Look, guys, I really don't…"

As I'm about to tell my friends to back off, April Kepner joins the crowd. I certainly do not have the patience for her today. Kepner was the vice president of the science club, followed Derrick everywhere. We've had a few projects together in previous classes and even went to junior high together. She's a nice friend to have, but we never talk much outside of class.

"Hey guys! What's everybody talking about?"

Before anyone else could answer, I turn around to face my audience of pestering friends, "Guys! I appreciate your support, I do. Can I get my books for third period in peace…please?"

I didn't need books for third period; it was the history class I was kicked out of for today. I recently ate lunch and was heading to the counselor's office to talk about moving me to a different class period.

Everyone looks at me as they to mumble to themselves.

"Guys!" I yelled.

They scattered down the hallway in different directions. I slammed the door to my locker shut and banged my fist against it with frustration.

A voice behind me speaks up, "Someone needs to take a chill-pill."

That deep, sexy, Spanish voice I heard coming from behind me could only belong to one person.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN : This is the second background/starter chapter. Again, the story will have a great action plot for those who enjoy action. Stick through this chapter, it gets better. Updates may be slow because of final exams and such. Reviews are appreciated. :D**

**Chapter 2**

I turn around to see my beautiful girlfriend standing with one hand on her hip.

I smile; making sure it's magical and displays my awesome dimples I know she loves, "Hey Calliope."

"Hey. You wanna tell me why you just exploded?"

"The guys were just asking about yesterday. I didn't feel like talk about it though."

Callie walked up closer, inserting herself into my bubble and whispers concernedly, "Are _we_ going to talk about what happened?"

I start to shake my head looking down, "Callie, I don't want to make a big deal of it. Aren't you suppose to be in third period like…" I look at my phone, "Now?! Callie, you're going to miss history."

"Calm down, I'll just be a little late. I saw you standing here and I couldn't resist." She reassured me.

I notice Callie's eyes start at my feet and work their way up until she was looking me in the eyes. She laid her right hand on my hip and stepped even closer to me.

She leaned her head in beside mine, "I'll see after your meeting?"

Butterflies began to form in my stomach, "Yeah, I promised you I would."

She drew back to look me in the eyes again. I put my hand in a matching position on her hip and pulled her closer. Our lips met for a short second only to be interrupted by ringing from the third period bell. I stepped back and motioned my hand in the air.

"Go, you're going to be late."

Callie's face lit up with a bright smile. She turned around and started jogging to history class. I'm not going to lie; I watched her whole trip up the stairs until she disappeared.

"Miss Robbins?"

I jumped around to see the school counselor, Ms. Stevens, with her signature clipboard.

"We should get going now, don't you think?"

I shuffled to stand aside and waved for her to pass, "After you."

Ms. Stevens moved me to fourth period history, putting me in literature for third. This was just fantastic; the only class I had with Callie was gone. She was _not_ going to be happy to hear this.

After my last class, which was now history, I walked to Mr. Webber's office. I sat in the chair of shame placed outside the door. It opened and Webber poked his head out and looked down at me. "Miss Robbins. It's nice to see you came…" he looked at his watch "and right on time. Come in."

He left his door open for me to walk in. "Will you close that behind you Arizona?" I closed the door. "Please, have a seat." I sat. I looked around his office. I've been here before, usually Webber congratulating me on an award or offering me to represent for the school. His desk was covered in files and papers with pen marks all over them. There were sports memorabilia placed on both sides of the wall on his shelves. In-between, he had planning binders and old college text books. It looked casual; his jacket in the corner with his umbrella, a lamp at the corner of his desk, and the two chairs placed in front of him for visitors.

"Arizona, I understand you must have been pretty upset when Mr. Sloan said those words to you. What I'm wanting to know, is if you think things could have been handled differently."

I didn't take time to think my answer over. "No, not at that particular moment sir." I became uncomfortable as he began to write down on a piece of paper. I've always had problems with authority. My father was a very stern Marine and he never liked to play games. I learned to be honest and respectful to my elders. I know that wasn't the answer he was looking for, but I was honest.

"Well…I know this is a sensitive topic. It seems as if Mark was being a bully at the time and mocked a very personal…subject?" I could tell he wasn't used to talking about my sexuality. He continued, "I want you to understand, me and the other teachers are here to help prevent these events from reoccurring. If this was to happen again, which I hope it won't, I want you to be able and talk to me or Ms. Stevens. You're an intelligent student Arizona and I hate to see you in here for these reasons."

I look down to the floor as I shake my head along with what he's saying.

"I'm trusting you. I'm trusting that you can keep things non-violent next time?"

I look him in his eyes, "Yes, sir."

"Good. And know Mark Sloan has had his earful as well. He shouldn't bother you in the future."

"Thank you, sir."

"I'm leaving your parents out of this because I know them and I feel they would torture you more than me. If it does happens again, I _have_ to call them, okay?"

"Yes."

"I guess that's all for now. Have a good afternoon."

"You too Mr. Webber." I get up and exit his office. I feel like I'm about to cry, but I contain it as I walk to my car.

I threw my bag into the back of my car before I got in and shut the door. Grabbing the wheel with both hands, I took a deep breath then started my car. As I drove, I thought to myself, _One more year and I would be attending college, hopefully with Callie by my side._

I don't remember how I got there, but I arrived at Callie's house. I pulled right beside her huge Tahoe which was parked behind her father's Thunderbird and sister's BMW. I realized quickly, Callie's family was well off and she got anything she wanted or needed. Her sister, Aria, was the same way. She's two years older than Callie and was currently enrolled at the community college to get credits before she went off to a University. Personally, I think she's trying to suck as much money out of their father as possible.

I knocked on the door and Carlos Torres answered.

"Arizona! Callie said you would be coming. Please, come in."

"Thanks." I walk past him into the house.

"If you want anything to drink or eat, you know where the kitchen is. I haven't fixed dinner yet so get whatever you like."

"I'm not really hunger at the moment, but thanks."

"Alright then. You know where to find her at." He motions up the stairs.

Carlos accepted the fact Callie was interested in girls. In fact, he's the only one out of both sets of parents who is supportive of our relationship. The first time we met, I could sense he was uncomfortable, but he's made up for it. After Callie came out some time in Miami, her parents had a huge argument and split; leading to the move to Seattle.

As I'm walking up the stairs to Callie's room, I pass Aria.

"Hey Arizona. Here to make-out with my little sister again?" She gave me an evil smirk.

I say more forcefully than planned, "Maybe. If you wouldn't interrupt us when I know you know what we're doing."

"Okay, okay. Someone is in a mood today." She threw her hands up at me and continued to walk down the stairs.

Callie's door was hard to miss. It had pink paint on it with various photos of friends, family, and even one of us. Surrounding the pictures were feathers, beads, and stickers. I petted a blue feather on her door like I always do before opening her door. I'm surprised when I walk in to see Callie lying down on her bed talking to Jo Wilson. Jo is one of the closer friends Callie's managed to make and my first high school crush. Her long, brown hair and pink, petite lips were very hot. Sometimes when we talked, I found myself stuttering and going into a stupor; dropping books and tripping over nothing. Callie had almost all of her classes with Jo and often studied together during the week days. Callie tried not to invite her over when she knew I would be there, guess she forgot this time.

Callie sat up right on the bed and looked at me, "Hey, you made it."

"Of course I did."

I walk over to her and bent down, placing a light kiss on her cheek. She grabbed my neck with both hands and pulled be back in to crash our lips together for a stronger kiss. Jo shuffled off the bed and started to grab her things.

Callie broke the kiss and turned around to her. "What are you doing?"

Jo continued to grab her things as she replied, "I'm going to leave so you guys can be alone. I don't want to be a third wheel or anything."

I spoke up, "Jo, you uh…you can stay. I promised my mom I would study, you're welcome to join…I mean if it's okay with Callie…or if you want to go, that's fine too."

Callie started to giggle under her breath. She knew I had a crush on Jo since the first time we went out together because I wasn't able to contain my anxiousness. Callie makes fun of me every time Jo and I are in the same room.

Callie patted my shoulder. "It's whatever you want to do Jo."

Jo looked back and forth between Callie and I. "It's cool, really. You guys study…if you even can."

I speak up, "Why does everyone think Calliope and I can't have a simple study session together? It's possible!"

Callie started to laugh again, "They say that because it's true. When have we ever really studied?"

I stayed silent.

"Exactly. Guess I'll see you later Jo?"

"I'll see you in the morning. Have fun with…whatever you two are going to do."

Jo smiled as she walked up to Callie and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. She looked at me, "Arizona..." Jo wrapped her arms around my neck, pulled back, and gave me a peck on the cheek. I blushed and turned my head down towards Callie's lap so Jo hopefully wouldn't see. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, I'm sure Jo has already figured my crush out. She walked out and closed the door behind her. Callie took my hand in both of hers.

"She always gets you so worked up."

"I'm sorry, it's just…" Before I could finish, Callie pushed me back onto the bed and straddled me. She looked into my eyes before she leaned in for a kiss. Our lips began to move together on cue, like we knew what the other was thinking. I laid my hands on her hips and brought her body closer.

Our relationship is new and we try not to let things get of hand. We promised each other in the beginning, we would take this slow.

I pulled back first and removed myself from under my girlfriend. "Callie, I have something to tell you."

She sat back, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pounce like that. I'm just excited to see you and..."

"Callie. Calm down, everything is fine." I put a calm hand on her shoulder.

"Is it about us? What happened yesterday, the meeting today?"

"Ms. Stevens moved me to the fourth period history class." I hang my head in my hands as Callie switches positions and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Well…that's not so bad."

"It's the only class we had together! We barely have time to see each other during the day, now we might not see each other at all!" I jumped off the bed in a fit of frustration.

Callie followed behind me. "We could always make time, Arizona. It's not the end of the world."

I turned around to see her give me a reassuring smile. "I know." My head slightly fell until Callie's hand pushed it back up. "Arizona, everything is going to be fine. You seem really tired. Maybe you should go home and get some rest."

"Yeah, you're probably right. I told my mom I would study though."

Callie let out a deep, grunting giggle. "Like you need to study." She gave me another smile before cupping my face. I could feel the electricity between us. There was something about being close to this chick that lit my heart up. She pulled me in for a soft kiss. "I'll talk to you later?" I smiled back at her, "Yes."

"Promise?"

I grab my bag. "I Promise." I peck her on the lips one more time before walking towards the door.

She crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders. "Bye."

I whisper, "Bye Calliope."

Lying in my bed surrounded my books and notes, I decide to put in my headphones and listen to some music. I lay on back and close my eyes as the melody carries on. Soon, I'm asleep, dreaming of Callie in a sexy army outfit, fighting in the war of 1812.

**Wednesday, December 4****th**

My eyes open and I realize the sun coming in from my window. I pulled out my headphones and sat up to look at my clock. It was 8:30 in the morning?! _Shit_. I didn't hear my alarm and I was late for school. I hurried to find clothes I could jump into. _Why didn't my parents wake me up? Why didn't Callie…Callie._ I scrambled to find my phone. I unlocked the screen to see twenty-two missed calls from Calliope. _Oh god. She must be pissed._ I tap on her number and after one ring, she picks up.

"Arizona?! Oh god! Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay!" She sounded extremely worried.

"Callie, I'm fine. I fell asleep with my headphones in and my parents…"

"Arizona! I thought you were dead or… UGH! Aria is…oh god, Aria is gone! And…Have you seen the news?" She interrupted.

"No, why? What's going on with Aria and why would you think I was…"

"It's so bad! You have to turn on the news…NOW!" She was now screaming at me through the phone. In the distance, I could hear sirens of all kinds go off. What the hell is going on?


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Some people were freaked out by Arizona being into Jo. There's nothing to worry about. I wanted Arizona to have someone else she crushed on instead of a Lauren or Leah character. I know her focus should be on Callie, and it is. It's just a crush. It's also better than a Callie and Erica set-up in my opinion. The action picks up in this chapter and I hope it satisfies your imagination. Thanks for the reviews, follows, and all that junk. Keep it coming!**

**I would have updated quicker, but I've been busy the past few days so I hope this chapter is good.**

**Chapter 3**

I turned on the TV to the news channel and tuned out Callie's crying only for a minute to focus on the screen in front of me.

_"And we're back with this continuing story. An infectious disease has broken out in Seattle, Portland, and Boise. People who have the disease seem to break out into a violent rage and symptoms include: foaming at the mouth, red, irritated eyes, and slow motor responses. The cause has yet to be confirmed and hospitals are over flowing; running out of supplies. Scientist advise all citizens avoid contact with any of the infected. There have been recorded incidents of the infected attacking doctors and innocent by standers. The disease is said not to be air-borne, but families should stay inside to take precautions. Most schools have canceled classes, stores and hospitals are being attacked by patients and the sick for medication. Riots in the cities have caused massive fires and destruction of public properties. Again, we recommend kids, and early workers to stay indoors. We hope to have more information as the story develops."_

The anchor's voice was quiet but fast to speak, trying to present all the information. They showed images of downtown Seattle and Boise. There were people stealing from grocery stores and others punching people in the face. They showed a video of a person in a hospital waiting room with the mentioned symptoms. The corner of his mouth was oozing white bubbles and he seemed… dead.

"Oh god."

"I know! Aria went out early this morning to grab some coffee and she never came back! Dad and I tried calling her, but….Arizona. What if she got hurt or attacked?"

"Aria's very strong…and snobby. I'm sure she has someone protecting her."

"Arizona!"

"Listen. I'm going to go check on my parents. After that, I'll come over."

"You heard what they said on the news. You can't go outside. There are people stealing and burning things and…probably killing for a bottle of freaking Tylenol!"

"I'll just drive over there and then we'll figure it out together. Okay?"

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Well, that's what I'm going to do. I'll be over in a few."

"Be careful Arizona." He voice was so quiet I could barely hear it.

"I will. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung my phone up. I flipped through the channels on the TV or a minute. Most of them had a news report, an emergency broadcast, or nothing at all. Images of the sick biting on other people came up. Warnings and symptoms moved at the bottom of the screen. I heard more sirens ring outside my window so I walk over to check it out.

As I lifted the blinds, a burst of orange and yellow came into site. The second or third house down was covered in angry flames. "Oh god!" Cops and other first responders were racing around. An older man walked out into the street towards the authorities. A cop slowly walked up to the man with his hand placed on top of his weapon. He held out a hand implying for him to stop. The old man leaped into the air and grabbed onto the cop's neck with his mouth. I jumped back as shots began to fire.

I sit back on my bed, putting my hands behind me to make sure I didn't collapse. I start to put together a small bag with a change of clothes and other items I might need to stay at Callie's. I've only stayed once before, but I'm sure she or Mr. Torres wouldn't mind. As I'm stuffing a notebook into my bag, the lights cut out. _Shit._ I grab the remote and try to turn on the TV. It doesn't work. I grabbed by bag and went towards the stairs.

Walking down, I started to call out for my parents.

"Mom! Dad!" there was no initial response so I continued through the house.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you guys at?!" I made it to the kitchen and didn't notice a note or breakfast left from my mother.

"Barbra…Daniel?!"

I jog back up the steps and into their room. No sign of them. _Damn it._ I pulled out my phone and scrolled until I saw my mom's number. I tapped on it and waited for her to answer. After five or so rings, her voicemail picked up. I tried my dad's number next. After the same amount, his voicemail started, but I hung up before the beep even came. I tried my mom's work number. She worked later in the day so I didn't know why she would be _there. _No answer. One last time, I went to my mother's contact. When her voicemail picked up, I left a message.

"This is Barbra Robbins. Please leave a message and I'll call back. BEEP."

"Mom, it's Arizona. I'm not sure where you are or where dad is, but this disease thing doesn't sound too good. I'm going to stay at Callie's, Aria is missing or something. Call me back. BEEP."

I remembered my dad had said something about working at the base sometime this week. I looked in the drawers for the phone book. It was hard to see and the light on my phone wasn't much help. I flinched as more shots are fired in the distance. I'm still not completely sure what's going on, but it's frustrating and scary. I wanted to cry. I wanted curl up into a ball in the corner and cry. The phone book looked out dated and useless, but it was worth a shot. I looked up the number and dialed it. After three rings, a man picks up.

"Hello, Seattle Marine base." His voice sounded hurried and in the background, I could hear other lines ringing.

"Hey. This is Arizona Robbins, my father is Daniel Robbins. He said he was going in today to work and he isn't picking up his phone. Can you tell me if he's there?"

"I worked with Daniel some the other day. He never made it in this morning. You sound pretty upset, you need someone to come pick you up?"

"No, it's okay. He never came in?"

"No, I'm sorry. I can send one of our guys over if you want."

"I'm fine. Thanks."

"Stay inside. Keep safe Miss Robbins."

"I will."

After I hung the phone up, I slid down the cabinet onto the floor. Roars of fire truck hoses and cop sirens are all I hear. I have to get to Callie's.

I grabbed the keys off the counter and went into the garage. Through the windows in the garage door, I could see people running and trash scattered in the neighbor's yard across the road from us. I walked over to the tiny window and peeked out. Everything looked like the pictures and videos shown on the news. I hung my head as I walked to the driver's door of my car. If I go out, I'm risking my life. Callie needed me though. We haven't been together long, but I'm almost sure I would protect her with my life. My girlfriend needed me and I'm sure I needed her too. I have to go.

As I pulled out of my driveway, the complete disaster of my neighborhood hit me. Houses were burnt down, blood spilled into the streets, bullet shells lying around. I tried to keep my eyes on the road, but the silence was distracting. All sirens and fire trucks have stopped and are unaccompanied. A woman with torn clothes and blood tripping from her mouth shuffled into the road. I slowly drove my car around her. As I passed, I examined her. Slobbery foam cover her entire neck, blood was spattered all over her holey clothes. Her mouth was opened and I could hear her moan through my window. I sped up, trying to get to Callie's as fast as I could.

When I pulled into her driveway, I pulled out my phone and called Callie.

"Arizona?"

"Yeah, I'm sitting outside your house. I need you to open the door so I can run in."

"I'm at the door now."

I checked around my car before opening the door. I closed it and dashed for the front door. When I got there, Callie had it cracked open enough for me to squeeze in. She closes and locks it after I get in. We look at each other with our phones still to our ears.

We said together, "Hey."

We threw our phones into our pockets and ran into each other's arms, hugging tightly. I closed my eyes as I thought about how lucky I was to find her well. I leaned back with my arms still wrapped around her. Her eyes were red and puffy, but I knew it had to be from her crying. In fact, a tear was starting to fall from the corner of her eye then. I brought my hand up to cup her face and slowly wipe it away. She looked me up and down quickly before taking a step back.

"You're not infected are you?" Callie spit out.

"No. I haven't left the house or come into contact with anyone until now." I looked into her eyes.

"Good."

"What about you?"

"No. Dad heard schools were canceled before I left. Then the thing with Aria…" She started to shake her head as tears came down her face.

"I'm sorry. I know she's out there somewhere and I'm sure she's just fine. I couldn't find my parents. They weren't in the house and they didn't answer their phones. Called the base and they said dad didn't even show up this morning." As I spoke, I notice my voice fill with fear and grief.

Callie's jaw dropped as she looked at me. "Oh, Arizona…" She pulled me further into the living room and sat with me on the couch. We embraced each other, both upset and worried about our family. Still hugging me, she continues, "If Aria is okay, so are your parents."

I was looking over her shoulder, when I noticed Mr. Torres walk in.

"Hello Arizona." His voice was soft and distant. Callie and I turned to face him, still holding the other's hand.

"Hey, Mr. T." I sniffled up the tears I had shed.

"I heard you talking about your parents. You couldn't get in touch?"

I shook my head.

"I'm sorry to hear." He moved his attention to Callie. "I just got a reading off the scanner. The Army is quarantining all the major infected cities and evacuating the healthy if they can. If we want to get into a safer place, we need to get our things together and leave."

Callie looked at him. "As in…relocate…to a different place?!" He nodded. "It's hell out there! There's no way we could make it out of Seattle alive!"

"Calliope, the Army is going to help and I don't think we have any other choice."

My phone went off; interrupting the information he was giving us. I picked it up and saw Derrick Shepard's name light up.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Arizona? You're okay!" He sounded like he was out of breath but relieved.

"Yes and apparently you are too. Where are you at?"

"Meredith and I went to school early to help some kids with their Bio homework. All of this happened afterwards. They canceled school then told us we couldn't leave. There's a group of us piled into the band room. Webber was here with us, but he went out to check on some Ms. Stevens who was being harassed by some guy. He hasn't come back and the doors are stuck with some type of tool in them. We have NO clue about what's going on."

"Slow down. You guys are trapped at the school?" I could see Callie's eyes get wide as she listened to our conversation.

"Yes! If you could come and get us out of here….we just want to get out. Meredith is upset because Christina disappeared. Everyone keeps asking me questions and I don't know what to do!" I never saw or heard Derrick cry, but I have a feeling he wasn't too far from it now.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. They're evacuating the city. Callie, her dad, and I will try our best to pick you up. Keep your phone on you, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Okay, bye."

The phone clicked as the call ended. Callie looked at me with concern.

"Arizona, we won't have enough room for them."

"Sure we will. You and your dad can take the Tahoe and I could take my car."

She still looked at me unsure. Her father handed her a bag she must have already packed. He didn't seem happy to hear our friends would be tagging along, but he seemed in for it.

"Grab your keys Callie and lets go." He said firmly.

Callie stood up and looked at me with watery eyes.

"Arizona…"

I went up and rested my hand on her shoulder.

"We'll be fine. I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I had a specific outline for this chapter, but with the responses I've gotten, I'm taken a different route and I hope it's good. Some stuff may be a little…gruesome, but I don't think it's too bad. This chapter is also little longer, but there's a lot going on. The reviews have been kind. KEEP THEM COMING. Thanks. :D**

**Also, I would really like a cover picture for the story. If anyone has ideas, send them to me.**

**Chapter 4**

Driving through town was disturbing. There were bodies on the sides of the streets and houses burnt down. Some people were roaming the streets but I couldn't tell if they were diseased or just in shock. I looked in my review mirror every few seconds to make sure Callie was still following me. She would look to the left at the houses then look forward. I could see her wipe a stray tear or two as her father put his arm around her.

In the distance, I could see the school. Cars were strayed everywhere; some black as coal and others simply abandoned. I swerved my way through until we reached the main entrance. I pulled as close to the door as I could, leaving Callie room to pull up beside me. I doubled checked around my car and the parking lot before getting out. Callie and Carlos followed me up the stairs, regrouping at the top.

Callie looked at me nervously. "So…do we have a plan or are we going in blind?"

I thought for a minute. "I think we should just go straight towards the band room and…we can deal with whatever gets in our way."

"How?"

"I don't know okay!" Callie stepped back at my sudden outburst. " Look, let's just get these guys out."

"Sure. You first." She threw her hand in front of her, signaling for me to go.

I pulled back the doors and looked down the hallway. There were papers flying in the wind and bloody handprints on the walls. I stepped inside and looked around to see there was no one in sight so I motioned for Callie and her dad to fall behind. Callie grabbed my hand and I lead her through the hall until we came to some scattered glass on the floor. I looked to the wall and saw that someone had broken the emergency box. It usually has a hatchet and a fire extinguisher. Not too far from the box laid that very hatchet. Letting go of her hand, I jumped over and picked it up. I turned it in my hands a couple of times and looked towards Callie. She looked to her dad who stepped up next to me.

"I'll take that." He put his hand out.

I looked at him and gripped the hatchet tighter. "I can handle it."

"Arizona." He said firmly.

I looked at Callie who is seemed uncomfortable before saying, "Arizona. Maybe you should let him take it."

"I know how to use tools Callie."

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I can do this." I turned from Callie to her dad. "You guys coming?"

Callie shook her head, "Yeah."

I could hear her dad sigh heavily as we continued through the school. The band room was another left and down the steps. _We can make it._

As we turned the corner, I could see the stairs. I looked both ways four or five times before stepping out. I raise the hatchet to my chest as I felt my heart beat speed up. Callie had her hands tangled up in the back of my shirt, holding on tightly. Carlos was in the back, making sure no one attacks us from behind. I peeked over the steps and saw to figures lying on the floor beside the doors. I stopped to figure out what to do. Callie gazed over my shoulder and began to shake. "Is that Webber and Ms. Stevens?" I squinted my eyes and it did seem to be Webber's jacket and Steven's clipboard not too far from a blonde-haired woman. Callie began to cry. "What is this?!"

I shook my head. "I don't know. Come on."

We moved down the stairs and around the teachers' bodies. I didn't want to check them or their pulse because I was afraid they would be diseased so we went straight to the doors. It had the fire extinguisher stuck between the silver handles. I removed it and opened the doors. On the opposite side of the room was a group of our friends huddled together. Initially, I thought it was just Derrick, Meredith, and April, but I could see there was many others in the room. Along with them was Jackson, Stephanie, and Jo. _How are they all going to fit? _ Derrick was the first to stand up. He had a Hockey stick in his hand which he must have gotten from the gym. Callie ran over to hug April and Jo.

"Arizona! Thank god. We tried to get out but…"

"This was in the door?" I held up the fire extinguisher.

"Did you see Webber or Stevens?"

I lowered my head. "They're outside on the…the floor. I don't think they're alive."

Derrick looked over my shoulder then shook his own head before meeting my eyes. With a serious tone he tried to keep his emotions aside. "You have transportation right?"

"Yeah, but it's just Callie's car and mine. I'm not sure we have enough room."

"There's only…one…two…" He began to count. "Nine people? Your car fits five and Callie's has an extra three seats in the back."

"The back row is filled with food and our bags."

"I'd really hate to go running around the lot to find my car or have us spread out for another ride. This will work."

I took a deep breath and released it with my response. "Alright, let's move."

Derrick turned towards everyone else. "It's gonna be a tight fit, but we have to make this work. Jackson, Stephanie, April, and Jo will ride in Arizona's car, me and Meredith will ride with Callie and Mr. Torres."

Everyone shuffled uneasily, but I knew they wanted out of here. Groups formed as he stood at the doors. Derrick stood in front of his group, stick at the ready. Jackson and I stood in front of ours, me with the hatchet, Jackson with one of the school's baseball bats. We slowly walked out before hearing a groaning noise come from beside us. We all simultaneously glanced at Webber's body. He was beginning to stand up and so was Ms. Stevens. I knew something was up. "Everybody back up, but keep an eye out behind you too." As they stood up, I knew they were not themselves. Their faces were dismembered and they began to foam at the mouth. "GO!" We got up the stairs only to have the teachers right behind us, leaving a path of their own blood and saliva. "April! Take these!" She looked back and I tossed my keys to her.

Stephanie tripped over someone's feet and landed right in the path of these now monsters. Jackson and I fell back and got ready. Webber came up first, trying to grab her feet. Jackson swung into is stomach, causing him to bend over. I added a bunt hit with the end of the hatchet to his chest. I then gave a round house kick to his face to finish. He fumbled backwards down the stairs. I hated this. I never wanted to hurt Webber, but I knew he wasn't himself. Stevens was catching up to us, but we had enough time to scoop Stephanie up and get out.

As we made it to the entrance, I could see Derrick holding the doors open. "Come on, Come on!" Stevens was still behind us and too close for my comfort. We dove for the open doors, landing outside on our backs. Derrick and Carlos closed the doors, Ms. Stevens' face smashing against the tiny window in the middle. Shepard squeezed the fire extinguisher in the handles. We waited to see if it held. Stevens slammed up against the doors, but they didn't budge. "Guess that does work." Shepard commented.

Derrick ran to get in the back of Callie's car. I glanced into the driver's side to see her face covered in tears and her chest fall from relief. I pass the opened passenger's door of my car, April in my driver's seat. She gave me a confused look before yelling at me, "Arizona! Get in!"

I walked over to Callie's window and made her roll it down. She leaned through the door and grabbed my face, bringing my lips to hers forcefully. After pulling back, she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Don't do that again, please." I nodded and pulled her in for a hug. Her arms were extremely tight around my neck, but I knew she was scared and I didn't mind. I drew back from the car. "Where did Aria go this morning?" She gave me a confused look. "Joe's Café. Why?"

My chest heaved as I was caught my breath from my fight with Webber happened. "Okay, so we're going to Joe's. We don't have much time though. They're still evacuating the city and we need to hurry."

She nodded. "What about your parents? Should we stop by the base or your mom's shop?"

I took a moment to ponder the idea. Trying to sound tough, I responded, "No, we don't have time." I started to walk away when she grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Arizona. It's your parents, we'll make time." Her voice sounded sincere and humble.

"They're probably not even alive."

"Don't say that. We'll go look for them too." She took my hand and squeezed it.

I whispered to her, "Okay. I'll tell April to stop at Joes, you follow."

"Sounds a like a plan." She gave me a half-hearted smile. It was the closest thing to a smile I've seen since yesterday and it made me forget about this disaster for the moment.

I pushed a strand of silky brown hair behind her ear and give her one last kiss. I wanted to say it; the three words I've wanted to say since I first met Callie. This wasn't the right time though. It needed to be special, and standing in the middle of a diseased-filled Seattle wasn't ideal.

I hopped into the passenger's seat of my car and turned so I was facing everyone in the car. "Listen guys. We're going to stop at Joe's to see if Aria is there. She left this morning for coffee and they haven't been able to reach her. After that, we're stopping by my mom's shop and the base to see if my dad is there. I know we have a small time frame, but the stops are on the way to the evacuation site, east of Seattle."

They all nodded in agreement of the plan. I looked to April, "Okay, you're leading. Let's go!" I buckled up and waited for her to start the car. When I noticed she was frozen in her seat, I turned to her. "Kepner, let's get this show on the road."

She shifted for a minute before speaking up. "I failed my driver's Ed exam."

"You have got to be kidding…" I flung my door open, jogged to the other side, opened her door, and waited for her to get out so I could take the wheel. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a large mass approaching us. A large group of sick people moaned and marched towards the school parking lot. "Shit! Kepner hurry up, we got a flock of them behind us." I got the other car's attention and pointed behind them. Callie focused her rearview mirror then dropped her jaw before starting her car. I turned the key and hit the gas, swerving out of the lot, Callie on my tail.

A few miles down the road, the streets were clearer. We had lost the massive group of infected and we only saw a few every other block. Joe's wasn't too far and I was hoping it would be safe. I wanted to find my parents and get the hell out of here, but I know how much Callie wants to find her sister. Even though Aria is an ass, Callie looked up to her at times.

Coming up on Joe's, I realize that there are cars parked right in front, blocking the entrance. I pulled up a little further and noticed the alley beside the building was empty so I parked there. I saw Callie drive past the alley and park on the sidewalk. I turned around to face my friends.

"Jackson, you and Stephanie go and guard the back entrance. Alert us if anything comes our way. Jo, guard the front with April. Everyone find something to as a weapon for protection."

Jackson and Stephanie got out. Jackson leaned in to say, "We got you Robbins."

Jo got out and went around to April's door to drag her to the sidewalk in front of the café.

As I was walking up, Callie came up beside me. "What's our plan?"

"I got Avery and Steph in the back, Jo and April guarding front, which Meredith could also do. You, your father, Derrick, and I are going in. You need something to protect yourself with."

I looked around and saw a crow bar lying beside a car with a broken window. Not too far from that was a bloody hunting knife. I handed the knife to Meredith and tossed the crow bar to Callie. Derrick handed Jo and April a couple of bats he pulled from Callie's car. I went down the side walk checking the glove departments before striking gold; a gun. I know Carlos should take this, but I didn't want to give it up. I stuck it in my pants before getting back to the group. I looked around and notice Carlos had obtained some sort of sharp stick and Stephanie was walking off with a hammer.

"Let's go." I announced.

Derrick fell beside me, Callie behind me, and her father watching our back. I slowly opened the door. There were bodies everywhere, but none seemed to be moving. I turned around and motioned my finger over my lips to keep quite. I slid in, keeping my body against the wall. Looking over the tables, none of the ones on the ground resembled Aria. I could hear Callie's heaving breathing over Derrick as we moved around. Moans began to form from the bodies. _Damn it._ I pointed towards the counter and quietly jogged over, the others following. We all ducked down as one of the people from the floor stood up. I motioned my hand for them to stay down. _Where are you Aria?_ As that thought crossed my mind, I glance towards the back and notice the bathroom signs. _That's it._ Again, I motion for them to stay.

I lean over to Derrick. "I'm going to check the bathrooms. Stay down and stay quite. If they see you, do whatever it takes to protect her." I nodded towards Callie. I then turned to her and gave her a quick kiss. She watched as I crawled towards the bathrooms. She tried to come after me, but I saw Derrick and father pull her back.

Entering the girls' bathroom, I stand up and start with the first stall. I kick it in, trying not to make much racket. After the third stall, there was only three left, then the handicap. I tired one more. _Come on Aria. _I stood in front of the next door. I bent down to see feet shaking at the bottom along with whimpers. I opened the door up and drew back my hatchet. There on the floor was Aria Torres, healthy but terrified.

"Arizona!" She jumped into my arms.

"Shhh. Those things are everywhere and attracted to sound." Just as I said that, one bumps into the bathroom door and begins to move towards us. I drew back my weapons before letting it fly. The blunt end hit the creature in the face, knocking it into the stall. I knew that gave away our position. I grabbed Aria and ran into the main part of the shop just in time to see Derrick Shepard swing at an infected middle-aged guy.

"I got her, come on!" Everyone ran towards the door.

Once we were out, Derrick and I shut the doors with his bat. He turned to April and snatched the bat from her hands and walked towards the cars. I turned around to see Callie and her father hugging Aria.

"Aria, you're okay!" Callie exclaimed.

Jackson ran up from behind the building. "Guys! We got another group coming, hundreds of them!"

We jumped into the cars and floored it. I was nervous about leaving someone, but I think we all managed to get in one of the cars. Callie was in front so I followed. I knew she was taking us in the right direction to the evacuation area.

We passed the turn for the base so I glanced back as we drove by. Out of a group of turned over cars, I see a truck that looks familiar. _That's my dad's truck!_ I swerve and turn around in the middle of the road. Jackson spoke up. "What are you doing?!"

"That's my dad's truck over there!" I look in my mirrors to see Callie turning around as well.

Pulling up beside the truck, I don't see him at first. "Keep it running." I said as I hopped out of the car.

I began to roam around my dad's truck. Nothing. I got on my stomach and looked inside of the turned vehicle. The seats were bloody, but still no sign of him.

I heard Jackson running up from the other side. "Arizona look out!"


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I want to say thanks to those who have read my story and continue to follow it. I appreciate the reviews and positive feedback. Here's the next chapter. :)**

**Chapter 5**

"Arizona, look out!"

As I turned around on my back, I see an infected dive towards me, leaving me with no time to react. I heard Jackson hop on top of my dad's flipped truck. I saw him leap over me, bring back his bat, and swing in mid-air at the monster. He hit it in the face sending it to the ground with a now backwards head. Avery's feet landed below mine, his chest heaving in and out. He turned around and grabbed my hand to pull me up.

My voice was shaky. "Thanks Avery."

"It was nothing. You owe me though."

As he dusted the dirt off my back, we heard a unison of moans come from behind us. We turned around to see groups of the infected coming our way. Jackson stood straighter. "Man, these things are everywhere!" I began to run around the cars in the pile up to look for my father. "Arizona! We have to go," The moans got closer. "NOW."

"That's my dad's truck! He has to be here!" I tripped over some scrap and started sobbing. Avery scooped me up, putting his arm around my waist. "He's not here and we have to leave. I will NOT become one of those…things."

The other car had not seen the entire encounter, but saw Jackson place me in the passenger's seat then take the wheel. We pulled up next to Callie's car so that she and Jackson were next to each other. Jackson was in a hurry to make a plan. "Listen, there's another group coming. We've got to get to the evacuation area."

Callie looked at me. "Did you find your dad?" Jackson looked to me then back at Callie shaking his head slowly. "We still have time to stop by your mom's bakery." She looked at me, waiting for a response. I didn't care anymore. If I couldn't find my dad, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to find my mom. I shook my head 'no'.

Jackson sighed. "Stop at Robbins' Bakery?"

Callie responded with her eyes still on me, "Yes."

"Alright, you lead Torres."

I sat with my hands in my lap; head tucked into myself the entire drive to my mother's shop. I had no want or need to stop there. I'm not sure I even wanted to get out of the car. My mind kept returning to what I saw in my dad's truck. The driver's seat was covered in blood, all the windows were broken, and there was a piece of a shirt stuck in the door. I tried to think about if it was something he would wear. Before my mind wonder farther, we pulled up in front of Robbins' Bakery.

Jackson's voice was distant. "Arizona? Arizona!" I finally turned to him. My vision went from Avery's face to the front of my mom's shop. There were about ten to fifteen of the infected surrounding the door. Their faces and bodies smashed into the windows receptively like toy robots hitting a wall.

Jackson looked over then hung his head. "Man, there is no way in hell we're getting in there."

"There's got to be a way." I focused in on my surroundings. Jackson parked next to a moving truck that was in front of the bakery; the back close to the roof. If I could just climb across the top, I could easily go in through the roof.

"Robbins…you're not thinking about…"

"I am. If we can get on top my car, it's an easy path to the roof. I'm sure there's an opening somewhere."

"What if there's more inside?"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Well I'm not letting you go alone." I looked to Jackson who seemed completely serious. We had always been pretty good friends and it was obvious we had each other's back.

Stephanie looked at Jackson with fear. He leaned back and gave her a quick kiss. We opened the sunroof on my car. Jackson took point with his bat and I followed with the hatchet in hand. Jo took Jackson's seat and closed the roof under us.

It was an easy leap to the hood of the truck followed by a crawl up the windshield to the top. Once there, we walked on top of the trailer. I paused and looked over to Callie's car which was parked in front of the next shop down with Derrick Shepard standing on top. Callie had her hands on the side of her face, rubbing parts of her temple. I sent a small wave to get her attention. When she looked up, I blew her a kiss. I saw her take a deep breath before I looked to Derrick.

"Avery! Robbins!" He tried not to make much noise. "You need any help in there?"

Jackson tried to look inside the shop to look for any infected. "I think it might be clear in there."

"Okay. Yell if you need anything."

Avery sent him an "okay" hand jester.

Avery and I moved further down the trailer until we came to the end. There was a good three or four foot distance from the truck to the roof. We both looked down and saw some of the infected stumbling around like a pit of death. "We have to jump." Avery said.

"Let's do it." I said uncertainly.

Jackson took a few steps back then started to run. He leaped and landed on the roof, no problems. I took a few extra steps back then started to run. When I reached the edge of the truck, I leaped towards the roof. Everything slowed down as I landed on my side. A pain hit me and I dropped my weapon and began to roll around.

"Son of a bitch!" I moaned out and grabbed my side. A small amount of blood puddled in my hand.

"Robbins? What happened?"

I looked under my side and saw a piece of sharp metal exposed on the roof now covered with blood. "I'll be fine."

"Arizona? Are you okay?" I heard Callie calling out.

I sat up, holding my side. She was standing outside her car. "I'm fine. Get back in the car."

"You're bleeding!"

"Damn it, Callie! Get back in the car!" Moans became more auditable under my feet. I looked off the roof and saw pasty colored arms reach for me. Callie finally got back into her car, and I didn't want to see her upset so I turned around to Avery. "Alright. You first."

Avery opened the hatch on the roof and dipped his top half into the building. "It looks clear," he mumbled. He sat back up and put his bottom half in first and fell in. "Come on. I got you Robbins."

I put my feet in and pushed off, landing in Avery's arms. He set me on the ground and we instantly turned back-to-back, taking in the shop.

Everything looked in place, untouched. I've been here multiple times; worked her during the summer. My friends thought it was a cool hangout and I couldn't lie, it was. My mom had designed it just for us.

Jackson leaned to my ear and whispered, "This place is like a ghost town."

"I know. It looks like it hasn't been touched at all today."

The huge windows would usually give us more light, but there were diseased people blocking them along with a darkening Seattle sky.

"Jackson, I can't see _shit_."

"Yeah, I'm not too sure about this. Let's check her office, the bathrooms, and then the kitchen."

"Okay, you lead."

We slowly moved to my mom's office. When we opened the door, a puff of cold air came out into our faces. I moved around inside as Avery guarded the door.

"Mom? Mom…" I whispered her name as I walked around. It wasn't a huge room so there wasn't much space to hide. I walked out and shook my head to Avery.

He entered the guys' and I entered the girls' restroom. It was extremely dark with only a small ray of afternoon glow from the window. I was starting to sweat and shake. I walked out and noticed that Jackson wasn't there waiting, but I heard the sound of urine hitting the toilet. "Such a slacker," I mumbled under my breath. I turned my attention to the kitchen and went in.

The kitchen was even colder, which helped my sweating, but not my loss of hope. If my mom wasn't in here, I don't know where else she could be. I made my way around counters and stoves finally coming to the pantry where all the supplies were kept and noticed. The light inside was on.

My sweaty and trembling hand reached out and turned the nob.

An infected jumped out and I took a few steps back then tripped on a can and fell on my back. My weapon dropped and slid across the floor. "Shit! Jackson!" The man got closer and closer. His jaw was attached by a then piece of skin, blood and foam oozing from his mouth. He leaned down for me. I reached inside of my pants and pulled out the gun, aimed at his head, and fired. BAM!

His body slapped the floor, the sound of his bones breaking rung in my ears. Jackson came running from behind and pulled me away as I tried to stand up.

"What the hell was that about, going in her without me? And where did you get a fucking _gun _at?!"

I patted myself off and stuck in back in my pants, putting my shirt over it. I reached down and grabbed my other weapon. "I found it back at Joe's. I was going to give it to Carlos, but I thought I could use it."

"Well, I guess you did use it." As he said that, a thud came from the other room. We started to walk, but heard footsteps coming towards us. Derrick stepped into the doorway and we all let out a breath. "Shepard. What are you doing in here?"

"We heard a gunshot go off. Callie and Stephanie were screaming at me to come in here after you two."

"Arizona was just…" I gave him a look "she has a gun, but don't tell the others. It's obvious she knows how to use it and she found it so…whatever. Don't tell the others." I offered a softer glare.

"You found a gun?!" Jackson sighed and gripped his bat, glaring at Derrick.

"Okay, okay. It's between us. It's getting dark out there…"

I looked around once more. "Yeah, my mom's not here. We should go."

On the roof, I looked towards Callie who let out a huge breath, fogging up her window. Jackson and I hopped back into my car, while Derrick jumped on top of the Tahoe. Before getting back inside my car, I motioned for her to roll down her window. "Lead us to the evacuation area." Before she could reply, I slipped into my car and sat in the passenger's seat. I looked to Jo who was still in the driver's seat, "Follow Callie."

"I can do that." She replied

As we drove, I looked at the barely visible moon. _How could this happen? How could both of my parents disappear like that?_

We pulled up to a large gate with two soldiers standing in front of it. There were other families lined up, sitting outside the gate. They all looked healthy and were probably trying to get the hell out of here like us. They came up beside Callie's car and looked in. I sat up straight ready to act if they tried anything. I could hear Callie get upset. "What do you mean?!" Without a second thought, I hopped out and went up to the soldier speaking to Callie.

"Excuse me. What seems to be the problem…" I read his last name off his jacket, "Ryder?"

"Look, I understand that your group is healthy and needs to be evacuated."

"And…"

"Our last ship has sailed and we just sent our last chopper. We've ran out of fuel for Washington and it's going to be weeks, possibly months before we're able to move more people. The people you see standing here," he motioned around "They've all been told the same thing."

I looked around and noticed families with kids and older couples setting up tents. "Is there any shelter you guys can give?"

"None. They think that's what's behind these gates, but all that's back there is a landing pad and a small office. Ships have taken groups to southern California where they're transported to Texas. That's where you'll find shelter. The Army has set up multiple safety camps and shelters throughout that entire state. Unless you can find a way down there, there's nothing we can offer _here._"

"So, if we make it to Southern California, we can get safe travel to Texas where everyone else is?"

"Yes ma'am, San Diego to be specific. I wish I could tell you more, but that's about all that I know. Me and my partner will try our best to protect who's here but we make no promises."

I sighed. "Well thank you. And thank you for your service." I gave him a small solute.

"It's my pleasure. God Bless." He saluted and walked back to the gate.

I turned around to Callie.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"We need to find a place to sleep then we'll figure it out in the morning."

"Should we sleep here?"

"No. There's too many people here. Someone might rob us or ask for a ride." I thought to myself for a minute. "We don't have enough time to raid a house to sleep in, the cars will have to do for now. We need to find a bridge or highway we can park under; a dark place"

"We could go to the bridge behind Grey Sloan Memorial. It's usually not busy, I'm sure we can stay there."

"That sounds good I guess?" I looked to Carlos and Derrick who nodded their heads, agreeing it was the best action.

"I'll have Jo back up so she can follow."

"Okay." Callie leaned out to kiss me. I pulled back quickly before we could take up any more time.

I walked back to the other car and filled them in on the situation.

"If we can make it to San Diego, we're in good hands." Everybody nodded that they understood.

We made it to the bridge safely and parked right under where the concrete started. We all gathered together outside and stretched. Callie couldn't keep herself from worrying about me.

"You should put something on that Arizona." She lifted my shirt to reveal the gash on my side. It probably needed stitches, but we didn't have a first aid kit.

"Tomorrow we'll stop for a kit, clothes, gas, food, and anything else we need before we go."

Jackson walked over and took his shirt off, revealing a tank top which he also stripped out of. He put his other shirt back on before ripping the tank top up and rapping it around my torso, applying pressure to the wound. I hissed then thanked him. "Any chance you get to take your shirt off, right?" Everyone smiled for once and it was nice.

Derrick stepped up. "Everybody should stay in the cars at all times. You gotta take a wiz, tell someone else so they can keep watch. Keep the doors locked and your seats low so no one can see us. Sound good?" Everyone nodded and went to the bathroom before getting back in their cars.

Callie pulled me aside for a minute and wrapped her arms around my waist. She laid her forehead against mine. "I'm sorry you couldn't find your parents."

"Let's not talk about it." I said softly.

"Okay." She gave me another kiss and joined are hands only to step backwards and drop them. "See you in the morning."

"Stay safe Callie." We both got in opposite cars.

**Thursday, December 5****th**

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Something was outside one of the cars taping on the window. I sat up quickly and grabbed the gun from under my coat.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: So the dates in the story are not moving quickly, but they will in the future. There's still a lot going on in these first few days and I wanted to make sure it's very well detailed. These chapters are also getting lengthy, sorry if that's a problem for you or it's too much. I'll work at it. Again, thanks for reading. Review so I know what you think. :)**

**Chapter 6**

Something was outside one of the cars taping on the window. I sat up quickly and grabbed the gun from under my coat.

The sun was still rising so there wasn't much light, but I could see a figure tapping on the windshield.

"Jackson…Jo…" I shook Avery who was up front and Jo who was behind me. "Guys…" The figure began tapping again before Jackson sat up, gripping his bat.

"What's going on?" he whispered.

"There's someone in front of the car."

"Is it one of the guys?"

"I don't know." I lowered my voice. We sat back as we watched the figure walk towards the other car. "I'm sure as hell not letting it get near Callie though."

I flew out of the car and rushed over, aiming the gun towards the object.

"Please! Please, don't shoot!" It was a woman's voice, shaky and full of fear. She dropped to the ground with her hands up over her head. I put the gun back into my pants as Carlos, Callie, Derrick, and Jo all came up behind me with their weapons aimed. All of them dropped their weapons once they learned it was a healthy and harmless woman.

"Please. I just need a ride." She cried out as our group walked in closer. "My name is Miranda Bailey. I'm a surgeon at Grey Sloan and those things…they…" She began to cry even more. I squatted down beside her and rubbed her back. "They got ahold of my husband and son! Those monsters!" I had no clue what to do.

I backed away and shrugged my shoulders to Derrick and the group. "What are we going to do? She's clearly an innocent woman who's lost her family."

Derrick gave me a stern face. "Arizona, we let her in, it opens the door for others. We don't know if she's got a group waiting to attack us or what! Plus, there's no room."

"Derrick, we could make room." I looked at the others, Carlos being the next one to speak.

"She does seem okay and I would hate leaving a grieving woman alone out here." Callie wrapped an arm around her father's.

"Yeah, I'm with dad. Derrick's right though, we've ran out of room."

"We could put enough stuff in my trunk from your car to make room for one." Jackson and Derrick shook their heads and walked off. I caught Callie's gaze and walked with her to Miranda. "Miranda, I'm Arizona and this is my girlfriend, Callie. We're running low on space, but I think we can squeeze you in. We have to stop for supplies before going to San Diego. There, we'll be transported to Texas where they have shelter."

She nodded her head really fast and hugged me and Callie. "Thank you, thank you. You don't know how much this means."

We loaded my car with some of the bags Callie brought along and started the cars to warm them up. We all gathered around for a moment. "The mall would be too difficult and full of the infected. Let's try getting gas and food at a station, then head south toward Olympia and Portland. We'll stop somewhere on the way to get clothes and other supplies."

Derrick patted me on the shoulder. "That sounds like a plan to me."

Carlos spoke up. "I think we should stop and get clothes first. It's cold in the mornings. What if we get stuck on the side of the road?"

I reply, "Which is why we're getting gas."

"The car could break down."

I sighed. "Mr. Torres, with all due respect, we're not children. Well maybe April is…"

"Hey!" She squeaked from behind my trunk.

"We can make decisions sir." I finished.

"I'm the adult here and I should be the one making decisions! I won't allow you teenagers to take some sort of leadership. I'm the wisest of this group."

Callie stepped up beside her father. "Daddy…We know you're wise and you have experience, but we want a plan that's quick and efficient."

"You saying I can't be efficient?"

"Dad no…what?"

" Fine! You teens want to lead this group, go ahead!" Carlos stormed off and got into Callie's car, slamming the door beside him.

"Callie, what the hell?"

"I don't know." She sighed and hung her head. Aria started to laugh but Callie gave her a glare, a glare I hope is never given to me; it's intense. Aria turned around and got into the car.

"Alright, everybody load up." I announced to the group who was now staring at Callie and I. They split up and got in the cars.

"Drive 'til you see a station that looks abandoned. Okay?" She nodded. I cupped my hands on both sides of her face and brought her lips to mine. We stood there for a moment, letting our kiss continue. I loved getting lost in Callie. I may be young, but I knew she was something special. My thoughts stopped when she pulled back.

"I don't know what has gotten into him, my dad."

"He's traveling with a group of smart and independent teenagers; he'll get a little grumpy. We will need him at some point and he'll be ready."

"Right."

"And I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday. I didn't mean for it to sound…hateful."

"It's okay. I understand. You were just trying to protect me and it was kind of hot…" She leaned forward to kiss me again. Jackson honked the horn quickly, making both of us jump.

"We don't have time for hanky panky now!"

We went in opposite directions, but looked back at each other and smiled. It was a smile that held hope and wishes to find safety.

It wasn't hard to find a gas station free of the infected. Everything went smoothly and as planned. The guys cleared the station first then filled the cars with gas. They held watch outside while the girls of the group grabbed snacks, first-aid kits, and any other random item needed. After loading back up, we hit the road; our plan to drive for the entire day and make it as far as we could.

It was starting to get dark and we had just past a sign that said something about Portland. We've made it to Oregon.

Jackson was in the passenger's seat, waking up from his nap. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere outside of Portland."

"It's getting dark."

"I know. Maybe we should pull over and talk about finding a place to sleep." I got off the highway and stopped. There were cars everywhere broken down and empty. It scared me sometimes to think about where the drivers of those cars went. We had found a few supplies from them, but we still needed blankets and another change of clothes.

I walked behind my car and up to Callie's window. "We need a place to stay. I don't think these cars are going to cut it for another night."

"Can't we find a hotel or something?"

"A hotel would be crawling with those things. We need a house that's out in the woods, away from the town."

"Well, you and Jackson seem to be the leaders so we'll just follow you." Her remark sounded snobby.

"Callie." I said sternly.

She shrugged her shoulders and I stormed off to my car. Jackson was taken aback by my heavy breathing.

"Problem?"

"No." I sighed out. "We need to find a house away from big neighborhoods and towns."

"Well, shouldn't take much effort."

I started the car and began to drive, searching for anything we could stay in.

After a few miles of driving off the highway exit, we found a small line of houses by themselves. Whatever town this was didn't have much. I hit the brakes in front of an old thrift store.

"What the hell Robbins?" Jackson began to look around.

"Thrift store." I pointed. "We need some clothes and blankets. It's a perfect place."

"We could get _anything_ from_ any_ store and you want to take some dead people's crap?"

"Just because it's not the name brand shit you always wear, doesn't mean we can't use it. It's going to have to work for now."

There happened to be a few infected inside, but Jackson and Derrick had no problem smashing their faces in. We all went through different isles, picking out our clothes that would keep us warm the next few days. I walked up to Callie as she was holding up a sweater.

"Callie. I know you think it's just me and Jackson, but we're together…as a group."

She kept her eyes on the rack of clothes. "You guys seem to be making all the decisions for this 'group'."

"Well…could you blame us?!" I yelled but whispered at the same time, trying to keep our argument quite. "Jackson is one of the best high school athletes Seattle has. I grew up with two Marines; I think I have a little more experience with survival skills here."

Callie just shook her head.

"I don't want you to be upset about this. Come on." She walked away from where we were standing. I sighed and shook my head. Once everyone was ready, we got back on the road.

We drove to the last house in the line. It was still standing and no cars were in the driveway. It was small, with two floors, windows that weren't shattered, and a half-fenced yard. This would work.

We parked next to each other and let the guys out to clear it. There was no signs of infected anywhere on this street, so the inside was probably cleared too. I looked over towards Callie hoping to catch her attention, but she had her face turned the other way. I didn't mean for Avery and me to take over, it just happened. Derrick was leading some too. Jo, Meredith, Aria, and Stephanie were good at spotting things and keeping up with the supplies. Callie and her father were good with directions and such. Miranda seemed caring and she was a doctor. April…well she was just there, but we all had a part of this group.

After the house was cleared, we all moved inside. Rooms and beds were called. Some beds were made in the floor, but we all found a cozy place. Miranda walked up to me later after we all had a snack and changed. Callie tried to fix the stove for an actual meal, but the gas wasn't working.

"Arizona?" Her voice was quite but confident, like she had gained some strength back.

"Yes?"

"I noticed you had a huge blood stain and rip on your other shirt. You get injured?"

"Yeah, a nasty cut from a piece of metal."

"Can I take a look?"

"Uh, sure." I lifted my shirt. I had tried to cover it up with a couple of big Band-Aids, but the cut was still noticeable.

"Wow."

"Wow? Is it that bad?" 

"You need to get this stitched up so it won't get infected or anything." She pressed around my wound.

"Ouch! Damn it." I pulled away and looked at my side.

"Yeah, I could do it for you."

I touched my side and hissed. "Sure, if you want to."

Miranda laid me on a blanket on a coffee table in the living room. She gotten the sewing and first-aid kits we picked up.

"I have nothing to numb you with so this may hurt a little."

I stuck a rag in my mouth and lifted my left arm up so she could get to the cut. She pressed her hand to my stomach and stuck the needle in. An instant pain ran through me and I couldn't help but scream out.

"AH! OH MY…MMM!"

Callie came running out of the hall with a bat raised. "What's going on?!" She saw me on the table and Miranda stitching up my side. "Oh." She walked over and sat on the couch beside of me.

"I had to stitch it up so it wouldn't get infected." Miranda explained.

Callie looked at me as if she was hurt; as if looking at me in pain caused her pain. Her hand came up and brushed back my hair then moved to my hand above my head. I opened my mouth and dropped the rag. "We all have a part Callie."

"I know."

"I didn't mean for it to look like me and Jackson were taking over everything or whatever…AH!" Miranda poked me again. Our hands squeezed tighter together.

"I know." She gave me a kiss on the head and walked away. Bailey finished my stitches and patched me up.

Everyone was asleep. You could hear snores throughout the whole house. My shift was over and it was time for Carlos to keep watch. I passed him in the hall on my way to Callie's room.

"Goodnight Mr. Torres."

"Goodnight Arizona."

He sounded honest and sincere. I hope he was like that for the rest of this trip. I hope he was like that as long as Callie and I are together. I knew he accepted his daughter's orientation, but I didn't know if he truly liked _me._ I loved Callie and I wanted to be with her for a long time. He would _have_ to get used to me.

I walked into the bedroom Callie and I were staying in. We would sleep on the full-sized placed in there. Aria was on the floor with a huge bed she had made herself.

They both were asleep. Callie's snoring dominated the room but it was cute. Could snoring even be cute? Hers was. I lifted the covers and slid in, wrapping my arms around Callie. She stirred around a minute before mumbling to me.

"Hey. Your shift over?"

"Yep. You father is on watch now." I moved my body closer to hers.

"Good." She hummed sleepily.

I kissed her neck before leaning to her ear. "I love you."

She turned around in my arms and smiled. "You do?"

"I do." I smiled as I looked deep into her dark brown eyes.

"I love you too." She gave me a quick kiss then turned back around, leaned into me, and fell asleep.

How could I have found a wonderful girl and be happy in the middle of this…apocalypse? I wanted to take her out more and build our relationship. It's something I would have to make up for later. Finally, I closed my eyes but kept my senses on high alert.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: So they had somewhat of a rough patch in the last chapter. I'm trying to keep things happy, but all couples have their moments. Time jumps pick up here. Also, thanks for the reviews. I take what you say into consideration so if there's something you'd like to see or have any ideas, let me know. Hope you like this chapter.**

**Chapter 7**

**Monday, December 9****th**

It's been four days and we've only made it to Sacramento. We took Sunday off from driving just to have a nice day together. Callie cooked and it was amazing. I'm glad she's able to cook because I can't even fix popcorn without burning it. After we got back on the road, we ran into some blocks and broken bridges which slowed us down. April wasn't much help with her whining in the mornings. It's so hard to get that girl up.

It was getting dark again and we needed to find a house. Most of the ones we've stayed in have been nice. The guys haven't run into any problems clearing them or defending at night. I guess we just got lucky that way.

"That one looks nice." Jackson pointed at a huge mansion that was tucked in by a couple of trees.

"Yeah, but there's a village of those houses." I motioned towards the rest of the houses. This was where the richer people must have lived. "I bet that place is full of infected people."

"They're not people anymore, I can tell you that."

"Still. I don't feel comfortable staying here."

"Look, that one has a huge fence around it. Someone already took care of that for us."

I thought about it for a moment. "Let's ask the others."

I motioned for Callie to pull up beside me. Carlos rolled down his window so we could talk. "We're not thinking of staying here are we?"

"Avery suggested it." I rolled my eyes.

"Arizona. This is a very popular neighborhood, lots of residents…"

Aria leaned forward into the front of the car. "I like it."

"Well, we know _you_ do." Callie said.

"It's just…" I started.

BANG

Both cars jumped at the sudden noise. An infected hit the front of Callie's car. She looked to me and Avery. "What do I do?!"

Jackson was about to get out but another infected hit his window, moaning and covered in saliva. He closed his door back quickly. Soon, there was one on my hood, reaching at the windshield. I turned back to the other car and noticed a group surrounding Callie's group.

"Jackson, what the hell are we supposed to do?!"

"I don't know! We have to get away from here. Try driving over them."

I put the car into drive and attempted to move forward, but now there were so many surrounding our cars, we couldn't move.

"Shit! Jackson, we're going to die! We're going die in these cars!"

"Just calm down Robbins, we'll figure something out."

"Like what, Avery?!" I started to cry. This was the end. "We traveled all this way and now…"

Before I could finish, a huge blur went by in front of us, taking a mass of infected with it. It came back again and scooped more of them up.

Avery spoke up. "Is that a…truck?"

It was going by so fast; it was hard to see who was driving it. "Yeah, I think it is." My voice was shaky as I tried to figure out what was happening. I grabbed Jackson's arm as the truck got even closer, eliminating almost all of the infected. I turned around and half of a figure came out the top of the truck. It aimed a gun towards our cars but dropped down. I heard a muffled voice yelling, but it was hard to hear over the moaning. After seeing the gun rise again, I heard a man's voice yell, "Get down!"

Just as everyone fell to the floorboard, gun shots rained through my windows and into the beasts that surrounded us. It then got quiet, extremely quiet. We all slowly lifted our heads and I looked straight to Callie. She had old mascara running down her cheeks and her hands gripped to the steering wheel. I mouthed to her 'Are you okay?' and she responded with a slight nod. Her father had his hand on his chest, breathing heavily. I wasn't sure he was okay until Callie started to pat his back and he sat up.

Two figures began to walk towards us from the truck. When they were close enough to see, Jackson and I got out with our weapons at the ready. One was a taller, pale man. He had some muscle on him and scruffy orange hair covered his head and face. The other was a woman holding onto his arm. She was skinny and just as tall. Her hair was put into a pony tail to the back. Both had guns in their hands, but aimed to the ground.

"No need for those now." the man said. Nobody from our group replied. "My name is Owen Hunt and this is my wife, Teddy."

We slowly put our weapons down and stood straighter.

The woman spoke up next. "We're with the Army. Our group got separated; some murdered. We've taken shelter in a mansion at the end of this development. It has a brick fence and plenty of room. You guys can come there for the night."

We all looked around unsure then gathered between our cars.

Derrick spoke up first. "I don't think these cars are going to get us to San Diego. We could stay until we figure out another plan."

Jackson was next. "I'm not sure I want to trust these people. There are other houses we can stay in."

Jo talked next. "They seem like honest people, and they just saved our lives! Plus, they're from the Army; they must know how to get there."

I stepped up. "Yeah, let's see what they know and try to get the cars fixed up." Everyone nodded and we turned to the couple. "We need somewhere to stay so we can fix our cars."

Owen nodded. "Follow us."

My car wouldn't start at all and began to smoke. Owen waved for us to get in his truck. We took all of our supplies and bags with us.

Once we arrived at the house, Owen jumped out and opened the medal gate to the house. We drove up to the door and moved inside which was ginormous with more than enough room for all of us. One side of the kitchen was stocked with crates of food and medical supplies. The other had piles of weapons, mainly guns and knives.

Jackson walked in with Stephanie on his hip. "Daaamn man. You guys are seriously prepared."

Derrick walked in and peaked over his shoulder and smiled. "Wow."

Owen and Teddy sat their guns on the table. She came up to our group and crossed her arms. "Yeah, being in the Army has its perks. It's ashamed we had to see the majority our men go out like that though."

Callie finally found her way to the kitchen and stood behind me. "So you guys know about San Diego and Texas?"

Owen turned to us. "Oh yeah, we know. No one's getting any further than San Francisco though. There are huge blocks the Army had set up. Massive groups of zombies have gathered there."

I gave him a weird look. "Zombies? That what the Army is calling them, zombies?"

"Yes, but all we know is that the cause is from some dangerous string of rabies. It gets in the system and causes death. Somehow they come back to life. How this happens, we don't know."

"And there's no way around them?"

"Nope, not that I know of…block goes all the way through the state of California. Your best shot is to go straight to Texas. Where are you guys from now?"

"Seattle. So, why haven't you guys left yet?"

He sighed deeply. "Well, we've held up nicely here. They don't seem to notice us when we go out on runs. Well…until you got here."

We all held guilty looks on our faces.

"Thank you. Thank you for…saving us back there."

"No problems. You guys find yourself a place to sleep; we can talk more in the morning."

I was sitting at the kitchen table, fumbling with the cup of tea I made myself. It was late at night and I couldn't sleep. Owen and April were up on guard, but they were outside on top of the house. All I could think about was my parents and how they were gone. I still hoped somehow we would run into them at a gas station or grocery store. A single tear dropped into my cup, my cue to wipe my face.

Warm hands rested on my shoulders followed by a soft voice. "What are you doing up?" Callie gave my shoulders a squeeze then sat beside me.

"Just…thinking." I fumbled my hands.

"About your parents?" She asked in a whisper.

"Yeah." I tucked my head. "I just thought it might be possible to find them somewhere. I guess that's not going to happen."

"You never know." She put an arm around my waist.

I didn't want her to feel sorry for me. I stood up out of her grasp and started to pace.

"Arizona…I want you to be able to open up to me when you need to."

I walked around the table without saying anything. Something caught my eye in the corner of the kitchen where the weapons were. It was a knife with a big green handle. It looked really familiar. It was a huge hunting knife with a green gripped handle and silver blade. This couldn't be. I knew this knife, but there was only one way to make sure. I picked it up and turned it in my nervous hands to the bottom of the handle. On it was the initials TR embedded in silver. Oh my god. This was my brother's knife; the one dad had gotten him before he deployed.

Callie came up behind me. "What's that?"

I passed her and jumped up the stairs and to the roof. I saw Owen on the left side, walking back and forth.

"Hey, you!"

He turned around. "What are you doing? Keep it down. We don't want to attract any of them."

"This knife. This is my brother's knife. Was he with your group?"

"Tim? Tim Robbins is your brother? So you're Arizona…Robbins?" We had only given him and Teddy our first names when we introduced ourselves.

"Yeah, and this is my brother's knife. You going to tell me what happened to him?"

He sighed and sat down. "He was one of guys we lost in San Francisco. Tim went to set up some C4 and the last time we saw him, he was fighting off a mass of zombies. That C4 saved ten of our men who…later died on our way here. He gave me his knife and told me to hold it for him…said that he would be back for it."

"So you left him there?" I was starting to get upset. How could the people who were supposed to have his back, leave him behind.

"No. He told us to go as he ran to plant the explosives. He said he'd catch up later." His voice sounded disappointed.

"Have you seen or heard from him?"

"No. Tim has amazing survival skills though. If he's alive, I'm sure he's staying that way."

"San Francisco?"

"Yeah…" He looked at me questionably. "You can't go down there, I'm telling you. It's all to hell and you have your friends and…and your girlfriend. You can't go down there."

"What if he's still alive?!"

"You can't be sure of that."

"You guys could show us the way. We're a good group, hard working. We could get through there."

"You can't go anywhere until your cars are fixed or you find another ride."

I thought about it for a moment and sat beside him. "What if he's still out there though?" Owen offered half of a grin and looked out at the neighborhood.

"He talked about you a lot, told the group he had the most badass sister. I see he was right."

I smiled as I laid back on the roof and looked up at the stars, wondering if my brother could be looking at them as well.

**I'm sorry to the people who like Christina and Owen together. I've always liked Teddy's character and wanted her in the story.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I'm updating two chapters because my classes are getting ready to start back and I wanted something to do a while so make sure to read the other chapter first. Big time jumps starting in this one. I'm trying to catch the story up so it's not too far from actual time. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Tell me what you think. 3**

**Chapter 8**

**Monday, December 23****rd**

It's been two weeks. Most of our days consist of fixing the cars and planning our route. The guys make runs to the stores for car parts and food every other day. They tried looking for cars that worked, but ran into an angry mob of zombies so now they go to the garage right down the road for parts.

It's hard living like this; a house full of teenagers who eat large portions and take showers all the time. It was a blessing that the water even ran. We may have to take cold showers, but it was better than nothing.

It was getting close to Christmas and we didn't know what to do. Did we celebrate it or just forget about it? April got crafty one night and hung up green and red food wrappers on a string in the living room. Callie thought it was sweet and cute, but I could care less. All that was on my mind was my brother. There was a greater chance that he was alive than my parents'. I couldn't wait to get out of here.

I was sitting on the couch, which was Jackson's bed for the nights he was on watch. The blankets were everywhere and easy to grab and wrap up in. Not too long after I was comfortable, Callie sat down beside me and lifted the blanket.

"Hey, I was all warm." I whined.

"What about this?" Callie leaned against the arm of the couch and pulled me between her legs until my back reached her chest. She wrapped her arms around mine and squeezed her legs around me.

"Hmm. This is _way_ better." I was suddenly relaxed and my muscles loosened. I wouldn't mind doing this every day.

"The guys are getting close to fixing the cars." She spoke softly from behind me.

"I know."

"Are we going to San Francisco?"

"I want to. I just have this feeling that he's out there."

"What if he's relocated?"

I thought about it for a minute. "I don't know. It's dangerous and I don't want to put us in more danger, but…"

"Maybe we should follow Owen's advice and go straight to Texas."

I sighed. I had absolutely no clue of what to do.

"We'll figure it out before we leave." She gave me a kiss on the back of my head.

**Tuesday, December 24****th**

We had all went on a run to the mall for Christmas gifts, minus Callie's dad. He was being a real scrooge and stayed at the house. It was unanimous vote with the rest; we all wanted to get gifts for each other. We weren't going to let some zombie invasion stop us from celebrating and enjoying a holiday with friends.

We split into groups of two, each with an unlikely partner so the gifts were kept somewhat secret. I got stuck with April which I think Avery did on purpose. Callie partnered up with Derrick which made me feel more relieved. We had already killed two dozen of the infected in here and it was still crawling with them. This was a risk we were willing to take for one another.

I gripped my brother's now bloody knife in my hand. April had a bat, but she barely used it. I was the more skillful so I did the killing.

"So, April…" I whispered to her.

"What?"

"Who are you getting a gift for?"

"I don't know…"

"Are you getting one for Jackson?" I winked at her. We had gotten drunk at a party once and she gushed about how hot Jackson was and how much she wanted him. This was right before he started dating Edwards, but April didn't make the effort to ask him out so it was her loss.

"No. Why would I get him anything?"

"I just thought it would be nice to get your crush a nice gift."

"It's not a crush." She rolled her eyes and moved to the next store without me.

Something shiny caught my attention at a jewelry counter. It was a beautiful silver necklace with a heart charm. Callie would love this. I noticed a gold one right next to it. _She would like the silver one. _I picked up and searched for a box to put it in.

"Arizona!"

I rolled my eyes and stuck the necklace in my pocket. April couldn't survive two minutes without me?

"Arizona!"

Her voice didn't come from the candle store I thought she was in. I moved down the line of stores until I reached a store for baby and clothes. _Why is she in there?_

I heard a scream. It wasn't loud, but muffled and I knew it was a woman's. When I reached April, she was standing in front of an opened bathroom door.

"I…I...I don't….I don't know what to do."

I ran over and looked into the stall. Lying on the floor was a pregnant woman, crying in pain. She was surrounded by empty boxes of baby cereal and empty cans of baby food. There was a puddle of clear liquid between her legs.

"Oh my…" I stood with my mouth open. This woman was obviously healthy and had took camp in this bathroom. I looked to April. "Go get Bailey! Yell if you have to, this is important. Do you hear me?!" I shook her out of a trance until she nodded.

"Ohhhh! Please, you have to help me and my baby." Her voice was soft and slow. It seemed as if she had no energy to do anything, even move her head.

"I'll try my best ma'am. How long have you been in here?" I kneeled beside her and gave her some water from a canteen I had in my bag.

"This store…days. Days..bathroom…no people. Some…ran." She wasn't making much since and her eyes would only open so far.

"Did your water break?"

"Eh." I took that as a yes.

"When?"

"Ago…days?" She began to shift her head and tears poured down her face.

"You're water broke days ago?!"

She didn't respond because she seemed to have passed out.

"Ma'am? Come on!" I shook her shoulders slightly.

I heard the guys come into the shop and a loud noise follow them. Bailey came in the restroom.

"What's going… Oh my gosh." Her eyes widened.

"She said something about her water breaking days ago. Is that bad Doc?"

Miranda got on her knees and checked the woman's pulse before putting her ear to the stomach.

"There's not much time. This baby needs to come out now. She's passed out so I doubt she won't be able to push. I need the medical bag."

I hopped up and went to the main part of the store. Our entire group was in there and they had closed the store's gate but seemed to be struggling. I noticed a mob of infected outside, their arms reaching through the cracks.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Jo seemed to be very upset and was the first to speak up. "We had a whole group on our asses because someone decided to yell through the entire store!" She sent a glare to April.

Aria was partnered with Jo and was breathing heavily. "Jo and I had at least fifty of them on our tail! What the hell is going on, Arizona?!" Aria and Jo had the smaller guns and their aim probably wasn't the best so they must have had to run fast.

I looked around. "I told April to yell. There's a pregnant woman in the bathroom and apparently, she's been in labor for days. She's still alive…I think. Bailey needs the medical bag."

Callie dropped her weapon to her side. "Is the baby alive?"

"I don't know. I just need the bag!" I motioned for Owen to throw me the bag with our medical tools in it.

He backed from the gate and tossed me the bag. "I'm not sure how much longer we can hold this Robbins!"

Hearing him call me by my last name made me zone out for a moment. Bailey came out from the bathrooms. "Arizona! Come on."

Before I turned, I saw Callie, Jo, Aria, and Meredith join the guys at the gate. I grabbed April and Stephanie with me. "Edwards, guard the restroom doors and keep us updated on the group. April, come with me."

I sat the bag on the floor and opened it up. "Tell me what you need Doc."

"Hand me the alcohol patches, the scissors, and a bunch of gauzes."

I handed her the requested tools and stood back.

"Come back, I'm going to need you."

"Me? Why not April?" April gave me a scared look. "What do you need me to do?"

"Take my jacket and cover your arms in it. When I take the baby out, you hold it so I can clean it and check it out."

"Hold on. April, go get blankets from the store and grab a sucker. You'll need that right?" I looked to Bailey who was now wiping the woman's stomach and took one side of the scissors and began to cut.

"Yes. Good idea."

"Go." I pointed for her to go.

She came back in record time with blankets, a sucker, and a long-sleeved outfit. We remained silent as Bailey worked her way through the woman's body. I had a blanket in my hands, ready to do whatever Bailey told me.

She finally pulled the baby out and placed it in my hands. She cleaned it off and sucked its mouth and nose.

"Okay, baby girl…let's hear it. Come on." She rubbed the baby girl's tummy with the blanket. After a little stir, she began to cry. I felt like I couldn't move. This baby had survived in this bathroom while an apocalypse took place right outside.

Miranda went back to the mom and stopped in the middle of her stomach and felt the pulse in her neck. She dropped her head and stood up. "Mom is gone. I could try CPR, but her organs don't look like they would make it very far if I revived her. We need to clean the baby up." We all got up and went to the sink. After we washed the baby, we dressed her and wrapped her in a new blanket.

Stephanie poked her head back in. "Guys, the gate is starting to break! We have to go!"

I looked to April. "Go through the store and grab a bag and fill it with as much baby formula, food, anything you can! Understand?" She nodded.

The front of the store was hell; our whole team holding back hundreds of those monsters. I looked around for a way to get out. We were on the top floor so there had to be a way to the roof.

"Back here!" Aria yelled from the storage closet.

Derrick looked around. "All the girls go, we'll be right behind you."

Meredith looked at him. "Derrick…"

"Just GO!" Meredith ran up to him for a kiss.

We all climbed up a ladder which led to an attic space. It was hot as actual hell in there. We had to find a way out soon or we would be eaten or fry. Aria seemed to be on a roll and lead us through a maze of heaters and roof tiles. "I think we can get out here." she said. She and Jo knocked a hole in a piece of glass that made up the roof. I gave Bailey the baby and moved up with them. We stepped out onto the roof and a gush of fresh air hit which felt nice.

We walked around until we saw the truck. There was no way we could get down there without a ladder, which the mall didn't seem to have. We walked around the other side and found the top of a parking garage. We could easily get down there by jumping. Teddy pointed out that there was care right next to us.

"Wait up!" Jackson yelled. We turned to find the guys coming up. Once they reached us, they all bent over to catch their breath.

Owen stood up first. "We parked on the other side of the building."

"There's no way down but the parking garage." Teddy explained.

"Let's go then." he replied.

We lined up and dropped to the car one-by-one then down the hood onto the parking lot. No signs of the infected were around so we took our time; our bodies were slow from the amount of work it took to get in and out of the place. I got on the top of the car and Bailey past the baby girl to me so she could get down. We passed her back and forth to make sure she got to the ground safely.

We had all gotten down and formed a circle around Miranda. We wanted to make sure this baby was protected at all times. Jackson, Callie, and I took the front, Owen, Teddy, Stephanie, and April took the sides, while Aria, Jo, Derrick, and Meredith took the back. We eased through each level until the last one. A few of the infected came up. Jackson and I used the knives we had and struck their heads. Blood splattered on my face and turned in disgust. I met Callie's eyes as she motioned to my face. I took off the button-up I had on and wiped my face, leaving me exposed in a white tank top. A few kills later and we made it to the truck. We all piled in and took off.

When we arrived back at the house we all took a moment before walking in. As we opened the door and filled the living room, Carlos took in the sight. All of us were trenched in sweat and some of our clothes had been ripped. Jackson and I had a fair amount of blood on us and Bailey had a baby in her hands.

"Is everyone here?" Mr. Torres asked. "Did anyone get hurt?"

Owen sighed and shook his head. "We're all fine. Picked up a new member." He pointed to the baby.

"Whose child is that?" He looked around at us.

Bailey spoke up. "We found a woman in the mall. She didn't make it."

"Wow." That was all he could say as he walked up to the little girl.

We all sipped beers as we sat together in the living room. Callie's dad insisted we not drink, but I don't think it was going to hurt a few teenagers to have a couple of drinks. We told jokes and stories of previous family gatherings from the holidays. It was almost Christmas day and none of us had gotten gifts from the mall. I remembered the necklace I had grabbed for Callie and went up to the bathroom and searched through my pants. I reached in one of the pockets and pulled it out and debated on whether I should still give it to her or not. It's a miracle it even survived to the house.

I walked back down and went to stand behind Callie and whispered in her ear. "Meet me in the kitchen."

Not too long after I entered the kitchen, Callie walked in. "Why did you call me in here?" She said it seductively.

"Calm down tiger. I just wanted to give you something."

"I bet you do." she said, walking closer to me. I think she had too many drinks.

"I have a gift. Turn around."

She turned around. "I got you something too."

I clipped the necklace on her. "It managed to thrive in my pocket all day, almost forgot about it."

Callie looked at it in the reflection of the refrigerator. "Arizona…this is perfect."

"I thought you might like it."

"No, you don't understand how perfect this is." Her hand went to the pocket of her short and pulled out the matching gold necklace I had seen.

"You didn't."

"I saw it on the way to the baby store and the case was already broken so I took it." She placed the necklace around me and left her hands on my neck. "Merry Christmas, Arizona."

"Merry Christmas, Calliope." I closed the distance between us and kissed her. "I'm ready to get out of this place and find my brother. I just don't know if all us will be able to go down there."

"You'll come up with a plan." She offered a smile that was sincere.

"I hope. I hope I find him…alive."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I've had an extremely hard week and I was looking forward to writing and posting this chapter soon, but the drive I kept my writing on broke and I lost everything. I had to retype this entire chapter all over and I'm not sure it's as good as the first draft was. I tried to make it longer and if you haven't read both 7 and 8, you should. Here's this next one.**

**Chapter 9**

**Tuesday, December 31****st**

"I told you, it's not safe to go down there. I'm not going." Owen told me.

Owen, Teddy, Jackson and I were sitting at the kitchen table discussing our route to San Francisco. We decided to send a smaller group down and keep the rest at the mansion. There were marks and arrows on a map in front of us. Derrick had volunteered to stay with Carlos and the girls to make sure the supplies and weapons were protected. I really just wanted Owen's direction and leadership.

"Come on, Owen. You were the last one to see him and you would have the best idea of where he might be." I pleaded.

"It's too dangerous!" he fired back.

"Just Jackson and I will go then!" I stood at the table.

Miranda stormed into the room. "I JUST got that baby to go to sleep. You think you could calm your voices?" She gave us a glare.

"Yeah." I said quietly.

I passed Bailey in the door and went up to the roof for some fresh air. Meredith was sitting in Derrick's arms on one side and Carlos looked off in the distance on the other. I went and sat myself beside the adoring couple.

"Is Owen going with you?" Derrick asked.

I shook my head as a response.

"I'll go with you then."

"Derrick…" Meredith squeezed his arm tighter.

"She's right. This trip is too dangerous; I wouldn't ask you to go."

He grinned with the side of his mouth. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"Alright." I mumbled. They got up and went inside. I stared into the woods behind the house so I didn't notice Carlos walk up behind me.

"I'll go with you."

I turned around. "What?"

"I'll go with you to San Francisco." he said.

"With all due respect Mr. Torres, I wouldn't ask that of you either." I put my attention back to the woods.

"I've been there before and I'm familiar with the area. I'm also good with directions in genereal."

His explanations were true; he traveled all the time and was like a map himself.

"Sir…"

"Arizona? Do you love my daughter?"

His sudden change of subject confused me. "Of course I do, sir." I stuttered.

"I know she loves you and I can tell she picked a keeper. Your leadership and strength have shown me that you're a good person and I trust you with her." I'm not sure I needed his approval for Callie now, but I listened to what he had to say. "I trust that you'll take care of her in the future and not break her heart. I trust you."

"Thanks sir? I'm not planning to break her heart." I wasn't sure what to say.

"Call me Carlos…please."

When I looked up at him, he showed love and honesty. "Callie and Aria are going to be pissed."

"They'll be fine." He assured me.

I stood up. "Thank you sir…uh Carlos."

He nodded and went back to his position on the roof. Callie was _not _going to like this.

We all were gathered in the living room, sipping on what little alcohol we had left. Jackson sat down beside me and Callie holding the baby girl. We had all taken a part in caring for the baby; there wasn't a set parent figure. Aria did seem to get up at night with her the most though. All the guys learned how to change a diaper and feed her correctly. Avery had taken a liking to her as well. Seeing one of the toughest quarterbacks in Seattle high school football cuddling a baby was a heart-warming sight. He held her so gently and whispered the history of sports as a night-time story. Stephanie was drooling all over herself, but it made me think about Callie. I never thought about have kids or I thought I never really wanted them, but with her I saw it all. I could see us getting married and having our kids running around on a bright green yard. I hope a cure would be found soon so everything would go back to normal and we could start our lives together.

Avery whispered something about his championship win before talking to the group. "Guys, we haven't given her a name yet."

We all mumbled to ourselves. Our main priority was to make sure she stayed healthy, so we didn't set down and think about a name.

"I think Aria is an amazing name." Aria suggested, receiving some dirty looks.

The room remained silent, no one knowing what name to give the baby girl.

Callie spoke up. "It'll come to us. We may not know now, but one of us will look at her and…the name will come."

"So we're going to leave her without a name?" Jackson asked.

"It'll come to us." Callie repeated and took a sip of her drink. I swung my arm around her shoulder and leaned in for a kiss. It lasted longer than I thought, Callie placing her hands on my neck and bumping our noses together and kissing me harder.

"Eww." The whole room moaned.

I dropped my jaw in shock of my friends' response. "Oh. So Callie and I can't make out on the couch, but you can on the roof and on the kitchen counter?" I motioned to Derrick and Meredith then Jackson and Stephanie. Their faces blushed and I nodded. "That's what I thought."

Later, we all moved to the basement where the game room was. The clock on the wall showed that it was almost midnight, almost a new year. Jackson and I were playing pool with Derrick and Owen, Meredith and Stephanie were playing foosball, Jo was at an old arcade game, April was playing pinball with herself, Carlos had went to bed early, and Callie sat at the bar talking to Teddy. I easily noticed her steal glances in my direction often and I returned them.

"Damn it!" That was my only response to Owen landing the eight ball, winning another game for them.

Callie spoke up from her stool at the bar. "You let them beat you _again_?"

"It's not as easy as it looks." Jackson slurred, the beer and liquor getting the best of him.

"Yeah, why don't you come over here and try it yourself?" I gave her a devilish grin.

"Okay then." She hopped up, came to the table, and grabbed my stick. I took her spot at the bar.

I watched as Callie and Jackson struggled to beat Derrick and Owen. There was something about watching Callie bending over a table multiple times. It may have been the alcohol speaking, but it put dirty thoughts into my head.

"Son of a bitch!" Callie had missed her shot horribly. The other girls gathered to watch and made fun of her whining.

I made my way to the table and grabbed the cue ball, setting it back to where it was. "You're not aiming correctly. You need to take time to aim." I told her.

I put my body behind Callie's and placed my right hand behind her hand on the end of the stick, my left on top of her other hand at the top of the stick. We leaned over the table together and my chin rest above her shoulder. I began to whisper in her ear. "Now pick the ball you want to hit and where you want it to go." She nodded to the one she had missed her first try. I leaned my body closer to her until my chest met her back. "Now point the stick where you need to hit the ball." We moved the stick together. "Then slowly pull back and try not to hit it too hard." Again, our hands moved as one, as if we knew the other's thoughts. We hit the ball and it went straight into the pocket.

"I consider that cheating." Owen said.

"You would have done the same with me so hush." Teddy held onto his arm and patted his chest.

Callie turned around in my arms and smiled. I happened to see the clock at the right time. "Guys, check it out. Five…"

All the couples came together and we counted together with the clock. "Four…three…two…one. Happy New Year's!" 

Everyone kissed their significant other.

"You guys are gross, you know that?" April folded her arms in the corner of the room. Jo ran up beside her and took both of the redhead's cheeks in her hands, bringing April's forehead to her lips. It left a smudge of pink lip gloss.

"Happy New Year's April." Jo said as she wiped the smudge off.

"Ew." April scrubbed at her head.

"Goodnight everyone. I'll see you in the morning time!" Jo yelled leaving the room.

Callie laid her hands on my cheeks to get my attention then let them fall on my waist. "You ready for bed?" She whispered to me.

I nodded in response. "Well, I guess we should go to bed…"

"Yeah, you need the rest for your trip." Owen mentioned.

"Thanks for covering my night shifts, Owen."

"It's nothing." He smiled and tipped his beer to me.

Callie grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs. We passed Aria sitting on the couch in the living room and went into the kitchen. She handed me a bottle of water from our cooler then got one for herself. I knew I should tell her about Carlos and how he announced himself as our group GPS. She would be upset which would totally kill the buzz we had going.

Out of nowhere, Callie starts dancing in front of me. I'm not sure what she's dancing to because I didn't hear any music. Her hips moved back and forth and she put her hands on my waist, trying to make me mimic her dance. I followed along and began dancing.

"Callie…what are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm dancing with you. I was thinking about all the school dances and trips to the club we're going to miss out on and I really wanted to dance with you. Plus, you're leaving in two days….I wanted to see you dance. You're not so bad."

I think she had a little too much so I continued to follow. "I wouldn't be so good without you. I'm a terrible dancer."

She began to guide me through several moves.

"We could have a…dance party tomorrow…" I was having trouble thinking because Callie started to move closer closer.

"But here, we're all alone." Her voice was low and seductive. Callie's body swirled around pressed her back against me.

I slowly stepped back and turned her to face me. "Callie, I have to tell you something."

"Then tell me." She continued to dance beside me.

Telling her could wait until tomorrow. I wasn't going to pass the opportunity to have an amazing night with my girlfriend. "Forget it."She didn't seem to care at the moment.

I finally lost my patience and pushed Callie back until we bumped into the counter. My hands slid down her legs and once I reached the bottom of her thighs, I lifted her up on the counter then scooted her close to me. She folded her legs around my lower back and pulled me in for a kiss. Hands began to roam and I couldn't take the tension. I pulled her off the counter without breaking our kiss and moved us into the living room and up the stairs, exchanging loving words.

"You guys are gross." Aria said from the couch.

"Mm, we know." We murmured together.

When we reached our room, I opened and closed the door, never letting Callie out of my hands. I continued to move us blindly towards the bed until the back of Callie's legs hit the bed and she laid back, my body hovering over her. She removed her shirt and pulled me down and her hands cupped my ass and brought us as close as we could get. Our lips met for second then I left to kiss her exposed shoulder. I didn't want to stop, but this was going too fast and I didn't want it to be like this so I pulled myself away and fell on my back.

Callie sat up on her side. "Was it…did I do something wrong?" she stuttered.

"No. It's just…" I was scared that I was being too insecure.

"Too much?" she asked.

"I guess. I love you and I would love to have that experience with you, but it's too soon. I'm leaving and I don't want this to be a spare of the moment thing before I go." I kept my eyes set on the ceiling.

"I love you too. We'll just get under our warm blankets and cuddle up?" Her voice was soft and she didn't seem disappointed. Maybe she was on the same page.

"Really?" I observed her face and watched it evolve into a toothy grin that lit up the dark room.

"Yeah. You're right, we shouldn't move this too fast. You are leaving, but I faith that you'll come back safely. I hope." I could tell she was starting to get worried.

"Come on." I pulled back the covers and slid inside. Callie followed, and turned so I could lay my arm around her waist.

"Oh, I think my shirt went in the floor." She sat up and tried to look over the bed.

"There's no need for that." I pulled her into me and rested my chin on her shoulder then dragged my fingers down her bare stomach.

So much was on my mind which made it hard for me to fall asleep. I heard Callie's snoring start followed by the rising and falling of her chest. Thoughts about her dominated my mind and took me into slumber.

**Wednesday, January 1****st**

I could smell the stove working its magic which meant my lady was also working her magic. The kitchen was alive with frying chicken and vegetables. Callie had found a few packs of chicken that were still good and decide to fix a meal for us. She used a lot of supplies, but it was always worth it. Teddy had fixed the neighbor's garden in their back yard and it became a main source of food. Carrots start to become boring after a while; I don't see how rabbits do it.

Callie was at the stove stirring something and dancing to the happy melodies in her head. I walked up behind her quietly and placed the tips of my fingers under the hem of her shirt. I flattened my palms on her sides and tugged until she gave in and fell into my arms.

"Hey sweetness." She said without turning around.

"Sweetness? I am far from sweet. That's just…really?" I scrunched my nose.

Finally, she gave her attention to me. "Yeah, it wasn't the best nickname." Callie rested her arms on my shoulders and came in for a kiss.

"How's everything coming in here?" I looked around at the dishes she was still preparing.

She went back to stirring and cutting. "It's good. Well…I hope it is."

"With you cooking, I'm sure it will be." Things got silent for a moment, the sizzling of the chicken being the only noise. I figured there was no better time to tell her that Carlos was going with us. "Callie?"

"Yes sweetness?" She giggled to herself.

"I need to tell you something." She picked up on the seriousness of my voice.

"Okay." Her eyes met mine.

"We only have one day left together and I don't want you to get upset about this."

"Is it going to make me upset?" Her stare made me nervous.

"Yes, I would think it is upsetting, but just listen."

"Okay." My girlfriend crossed her arms and leaned beside the stove.

"Your father is going with us. Since Owen didn't want to go, your dad said he would."

She didn't say anything.

"He's been there before and he has a great sense of direction. We could really use him."

She nodded her head slowly then went back to cooking.

"Calliope…"

She continued to ignore me.

"You said you wouldn't get upset."

"My girlfriend and now my dad are going a trip to a town filled with diseased people who eat and kill other people, and you don't want me to get upset? Of course I'm going to be upset….and scared and…nervous."

When she finally spun around, tears were coming down her cheeks. I stepped up and cupped her face, rubbing the tears away with the end of my thumbs. "I know you're scared, so am I. You have to have faith in me and my group like you said. I've made a route so our trip only takes two days. Two days, Callie."

Her tears stopped, but I can tell she was still scared. "Did you ask him to go or…"

"He came to me. After he heard Owen wasn't going, he came to me."

"What did he say?" she sniffled.

"He started off with giving his blessing? Told me you picked a keeper." I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "Which is totally right. He went on to say he's been down there before and new his way around. I told him I wouldn't ask that of him, but he insisted."

She stood in my arms, motionless. Finally she spoke in almost a whisper. "I love you. And I love my dad."

"I love _you_. We'll do our best to protect each other." I kissed her forehead and she engulfed me in a tight hug.

Avery walked in suddenly. Callie and I stepped apart so she could go back to cooking and I picked at a magnet on the fridge.

"It smells fantastic in here." He announced. "Doesn't it smell good in here? Yes, it does. Yes." His voice began to goo. I gave him a weird look and noticed that he was holding the baby. "I think she needs to be changed." He held her out.

"You know how to change a diaper, Avery. That's your responsibility." Callie spoke from the sink area.

"Dude…come on." He looked to me.

"No way, Avery." I smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

Dinner was a bit on the awkward side. I think everyone picked up on the mood and fell into a depression. Tomorrow morning, Jackson, Stephanie, Carlos, and I would be leaving to find my brother. It was amazing to think my friends would risk their lives at the possibility to save my family. I was extremely grateful.

No one was talking except for Avery who attempted at a joke, but no one laughed. To make things even worse, he raised his bottle of soda. "Let's have a toast."

"Really babe?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah. I know there's not a lot to toast for, but we're alive. Let's toast to still being alive." I felt bad because I knew he was trying to lighten the moment up.

"You're right. It's something to be thankful for." I raised my soda. Everyone nodded with small smiles and raised their bottles.

"And to being badass zombie killers." He added.

"To staying alive and being badass zombie killers." I repeated.

Our bottles met in the middle and we cheered together. "Being alive…badass zombie killers." It was a mumbled mess, but it was great.

"And I would like to thank Owen and Teddy for letting us into their place." Callie announced.

"It's was nothing. Plus, I'd like to think we make a pretty good group." He said sincerely and smiled.

"We do, don't we?" Callie grinned and held my hand under the table.

After dinner, we gathered in the living room and held a dance party. We had found an old record player in the attic and hooked it up. It almost killed our generator, but we didn't care. As I watched some of the others dance, it was safe to say that I wasn't the worst in the room. Hours past as we all took turns, switching partners and acting foolish. The record ended and we all sat on the couch together. Callie put one arm around my shoulder and the other in my lap. Everyone had a good time and none of us wanted to think about group members leaving tomorrow.

I was the first to speak up. "I hate to say this because it's been great with you guys, but I have to get up early and I need my sleep."

"Have a good night, Robbins." Owen tipped his cup to me. "And Torres." he included.

"Goodnight everybody." Callie said as we made our way up the stairs.

Once we were lying in bed, I made sure Callie was comfortable. Her head lay on my shoulder and her arm under my shirt and around my side to where her finger tips played with the bottom of my bra.

"You ever think about how long we would have been together if this never happened?" Callie mumbled against my chest.

"What?" I wasn't sure I understood.

"I've heard about your history at school. You dated like…three different girls in two months and they were all _way _better looking than me." She sounded so insecure.

"Callie. First, you are WAY more attractive than they'll ever be, inside and out. You are SO much better than any girl I've _ever_ been with. Half of those girls didn't even know what they wanted. Our relationship isn't like that. I want you, and I want to be with you as long as you'll have me. Okay?"

She nodded and continued to slide her fingers across my stomach. I lifted her head so our faces could meet. Callie leaned down and kissed me. Soon, she was asleep and my mind was wondering again.

In the morning, I would leave my girlfriend and a group of my closest friends to find my brother who was hopefully alive. I needed to have faith in the situation; I had to believe he was alive.

**I originally wanted to name the baby in this chapter, but realized I had no idea what it should be. Tell me your suggestions or ideas for the baby's name in the reviews. This chapter was difficult for me to write so I would like to know what you thought about it. Thanks.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I didn't really have a plan for this chapter so I'm going to roll with it. Tell me what you thought of the chapter at the end…thanks.**

**Chapter 10**

**Thursday, January 2****nd**

I knew today was going to be hard. Callie and I went to the roof early this morning and watched the sun peek through the trees. If we were going to make it to San Francisco and find shelter by night, we would have to make our departure soon. Eighty to ninety miles didn't seem far on the map, but it was an entire world away from my love.

Callie grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly as we descended down the steps. Everyone was gathering our packed supplies at the door. Jackson was equipped down with weapons including a gun, army knife, and axe. Stephanie and Carlos had their own set of back-up weapons; a bat or two and a shovel. We all had backpacks with enough food for a few days in case something happened and we were split up or stuck. After I loaded the pockets of my cargo pants and slid on my pack, I turned to them.

"You guys ready?" I said it in a calming tone because this was all me. If a horrible incident occurs for some reason, I'm to blame. They were willing to risk themselves for my brother, who everyone except Jackson hasn't even met. I was scared to turn around. The rest of my friends along with my beautiful girlfriend were waiting to say goodbye. My body hesitantly twisted around. Owen and Teddy were holding each other close as was Derrick and Meredith. April and Jo looked extremely disappointed, trying to look in different directions. Bailey was holding the baby to her chest, rocking back and forth, while Callie held hands with Aria.

Callie was the first to break away and slowly walked up to me. In her last few strides, she picked up speed and quickly wrapped her arms around me. As the others exchanged goodbyes with each other, Callie and I continued to hug. We moved away from the crowd to whisper what hopefully weren't our last words for one another.

"I love you, Arizona." she said in a whimper.

"I love you too." I followed with a shaky breath. We leaned back and took the other's features in. Her eyes were red and puffy; the way I assumed mine looked. I felt her hands clench my shirt in a bunch before they came to my face, pulling me in for a kiss. It was a kiss different from our others. Our lips moved slowly together, and I made sure to take my time, capture every inch of her. My hands rested on her hip as we stood for minutes, letting us feel through our motions. After running out of breath, I leaned into her too much and almost lost balance. I caught myself with my foot and brought Calliope up with me. We put our foreheads together and let the tips of our noses touch. "I'll be back by Saturday morning, okay?"

Callie nodded. "Arizona…if things start to look bad, say you'll turn around."

"I'll turn around." I said sweetly with a smile and another kiss.

"You'll come back. Promise me you'll come back." I could hear tears fall from her eyes and hit my jacket.

"I promise." We kissed once more.

Carlos silently walked up. Callie stepped back from me and engulfed her dad in a hug. I gave hugs to April and Jo, Bailey and the baby, Derrick and Meredith. Owen stepped up next.

"Don't forget this." He handed my brother's knife to me.

"Thanks." I looked down at it in my hands.

"Be careful, Arizona." he said firmly.

"I will." I shook his hand and gave Teddy a hug. Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to find Aria giving me a look. I'm not sure what it meant though. She grabbed my arm and tugged me to the corner of the room.

"Look. First you want to break my sister's heart by going out there and then you decide to take my dad with you..." Her tone was scary as hell.

"He volunteered to go…" I tried.

"It doesn't matter, but you did save my life and I'm thankful. You seem to know what you're doing. Please, come back. Come back with my father." Her voice calmed and she gave me a pleasing hand gesture, both hands together, shaking back and forth.

"I'm going to do my best. I know he's your father, but this is also _my _brother."

"I understand. Just come back." She gave me a quick hug and went to her father and Callie.

We all moved outside into the yard. My group gathered at the gates which lead to the decaying world. Carlos was lagging behind, giving his daughters one last hug. I could hear Callie mutter "I love you, daddy." Jackson opened the gate and filled my car with our things as Carlos caught up. I started to walk backwards as I waved to my awkward family. I saved my last glance for Callie. We both dropped our hands and gave each other a smile. Her right hand went over her heart and she mouthed "I love you." I returned the motion and blew her a kiss before I went out the gate.

I started the car and we were off. The guys must have fixed her up nicely because there was a soft purr; no loud car noises to attract the infected. There was a full tank of gas and snacks in the floorboard. It felt like this trip may be easier than I thought.

After an hour of driving, we decided to stop by Oakland. Owen said they had left some men there too and I wanted to check it out. We came to a stop after running into a part of the highway blocked with concrete blocks and military tanks. It was almost like a wall that went off the highway and into the city as far as I could see. When Owen said they blocked off half of California, he meant it.

I pulled up behind an Army base tent that looked like it was set up during the outbreak.

"Okay guys, let's check things out in here and look at a few of those tanks. Don't slit up too far and if you see a mass group or are in danger, scream. We'll be able to act quicker than they can react to noise."

"Let's roll out." Jackson gave me an assuring smile.

"I'm going to leave the keys in the ignition. Make sure the doors are closed, but unlocked." I added.

We filed out and searched around inside the tent. There was one infected in the tent, but I took it down with a blow to the back of its head. There were papers everywhere and broken equipment on the floors. It seemed the Army had trouble trying to control this disaster.

"Arizona." Jackson called me over to the table he was standing at. "Take a look at this map."

I looked down and noticed a map of the western states. There were green dots I assumed where the Army had set up. There was one in the same area we were in. Red dots cover the majority of the map. A bundle of them were in covering San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland. Other states were covered in red dots, but they were all around the coast. This must have had something to do with water. All the outbreaks were taking place at the inlets and beaches. "You see what I'm seeing, Jackson?"

"The coast was bombed with those things."

"Where was the coast guard during all of this?" I asked.

Carlos looked over our shoulders. "Maybe they had something to do with this."

"Why would the coast guard mess with infectious diseases?" I thought out loud.

"We should take this." Jackson suggested.

"You're right." I rolled the map and its papers up. There was enough room in my pack for them to fit.

We continued to look for any details to as to why this may have happened. Jackson grabbed a few more random things he thought was interesting before we went out to the trucks and tanks parked beside the concrete border. There were two trucks with a dead soldier in them. I paused before we moved to the tanks. I hurried to grab the soldiers' boots, gun, helmet, and tags. I took them all over to the edge of the highway in the grass.

"What are you doing?" Jackson asked.

"I'm honoring these soldiers." I explained bluntly, as if he should have known. Military is important to my family and this was something I needed to do. I sat their shoes a foot apart then leaned the gun against the back of them. I stepped back and looked at my display. I hung the tags around the barrel of their guns and saluted. "Let's keep going." I walked past them to the tanks.

We all entered the different tanks and confirmed they were empty. There was no use in trying to make them start because the keys were gone and I didn't notice any in the tent. There was an awkward moment we just stood there in silence.

"What do we do now?" Carlos chanced.

"We go to San Fran." I replied.

"You saw those dots, Arizona. We go down there, we're automatically surrounded." Jackson inserted.

"It's the risk I'm taking and the one you agreed to take with me. You backing out?" I questioned.

"No. I'm with you 'til the end, Robbins. You're like my sister, you know that?" His toned changed at his last few words, his eyes soft with care.

I knew he was right, we weren't related by blood, but Jackson was always a brother character to me after Tim left. "I know, but I need my other brother too."

"Let's go find him then." As he walked passed me, he patted my shoulder. It may have seemed like a simple act, but it was much more. A pat from Jackson was like a hug, a loving sign. He used to do it with the football team after winning games. The only people I've seen him actually hug are Stephanie and his mom, but she forced him to do it that time.

Thirty to forty minutes later and we arrived to San Francisco. If there was an ideal picture of hell, this was it. Any area of grass that was ever green burned to blend with the mid-day sky. Oranges and yellows dominated the air with brown, burnt buildings struggling to stand up. Massive groups of infected roamed the streets, eating on corpses that lay on the sidewalks. I was starting to get worried because it was so hard to see through all the smoke and maneuver around the sluggish diseased.

"Damn." Avery responded to the intake.

"This is…there are no words for this." Stephanie added.

"We have to make it to a dock. Owen said they were moving in at some dock and they lost Tim near a boat repair place. I have no clue where it would be though." I handed a map to Jackson in the back.

"I don't know either, Robbins." he said.

"Can I see the map?" Carlos asked. Jackson sent it back to the front for Carlos. "Most of the repair places are north of all the docks. You need to follow this road to this area." He traced a trail on the map with his finger.

"Thank you Carlos." I smiled.

More infected began to crowd the streets as we moved turned to go north. "We need to ditch the car." Jackson announced.

"What?!" Stephanie sounded surprised.

"He's right. We have a better chance of getting around if we're on foot. We don't want to get stuck inside this car. It might be a while before Owen and Teddy come to save us." I giggled a little to lighten up the actual idea of being stuck inside my car surrounded by cannibalistic monsters.

I slowed down and let the car drift as we stormed up a plan.

"The boats!" Avery shouted. "The boats at the docks are at least a foot away from the piers. I'm sure we could just climb boat to boat." He seemed really excited to have thought of the idea.

I looked to Mr. Torres. "Does that sound like a good plan, sir?"

"It sounds doable." He nodded along.

I drove onto a pier and looked around. "Looks clear for now…let's move out." We hopped out of the car and threw our packs on. We ran towards the boat at the end and jumped on. "Just because we're off the land, doesn't mean they couldn't already be on here. Keep an eye out." I reminded them.

'I'd say we need to travel half a mile." Carlos estimated.

We hopped from pier to pier, boat to boat. There was no time to waist. It was starting to get a little dark and we still needed a place to set up for the night. I hopped onto the next boat first and began to walk to the side.

Out of nowhere an infected jumped onto me and took me to the ground. "Mother...Ah!" I reached back and pulled my knife down on his neck. I expected blood to squirt everywhere, but nothing came out.

"You okay?" Avery asked as he helped me up.

I was out of breath but answered. "Yeah. You see that?"

"What?"

"His blood was all dried up. How is that possible if he's alive or…partially alive?"

"I don't know." He mumbled and dusted me off. I looked back at his slit throat before we moved on. _Why didn't he bleed?_

We traveled at least thirty more boats up the coast. There was a huge surf and boat shop sign sticking up behind a tree or two. I could see the tip of a tin roof.

"I believe that's a repair shop up there." Carlos pointed to the roof.

"Yeah, you guys see that?" I could see a piece of white cloth sailing from the corner of the roof.

"Let's keep moving." Carlos suggested. He was starting to take more of a leadership and I didn't mind one bit; this is his area of expertise.

On the last boat, I noticed the building was surrounded. There had to be hundreds of them lining up the streets. I motioned my hands for everyone to lay low.

"Holy shit!" Avery whispered through his teeth.

We peeked over the edge of the boat. Under the flying shirt was an open window to what seemed like an attic of the shop.

"You think he could be in there, Avery?" I asked

"This is all you Robbins; I'm here to have your back." He paused for a moment. "What are your instincts telling you?"

"I'm thinking he wouldn't have stayed this long in an attic. He hated having to live on the second floor in a room beside me for eighteen years. Maybe it was just mom and dad, but…he wouldn't stay in one spot too long. I want to try it though."

"Then let's try it. What's our plan?"

"Hell, I don't know." I was starting to doubt my entire decision to come down here.

"Look." Stephanie spoke up and pointed to the side of the pier near the land. There was a huge sliding ladder lying on the ground. I'm sure it was long enough for us to reach the roof.

"Good eye, Edwards." I patted her on the shoulder and Jackson gave her a quick kiss. "We need to move quickly." I was starting to get very nervous and images of Callie started to run through my mind.

"Want me to lead?" Jackson must have sensed my worry.

"Would you?" I asked.

"Of course I would."

Jackson confidently jumped from the boat to pier. He held up the axe and moved slowly, bending his knees and taking wide steps.

I fell behind him with Edwards on my tail. Carlos brought up the back, keeping his eyes out. Jackson grabbed the top of the ladder and I took the back. We managed to stay quiet and moved around the large group of infected towards the side of the building.

We were almost there when Jackson took his eyes off the path and tripped over a dead body. The ladder fell and made a huge clatter. I turned around and saw all the infected looking our way.

"Shit! Go! Go! Go!" I screamed at Avery.

He stumbled to his feet as we ran up to the side of the building. Close up, it looked sketchy, consisting of rusty metal sheets. I helped set the ladder against the side of the shop. The tip fell right under the roof. _Perfect. _Jackson was the first up and I wasted no time filing behind him.

"We need to get up there now!" Carlos shouted from the bottom.

It got to the point where we were all on the ladder, the infected gathering at the bottom. Jackson had made it to the top. "Come on!" He held out his hand. As I reached up, the middle of the ladder gave in. Jackson grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I leaned over the side and tried to reach for Stephanie's hand. She had to hang on to the top part of the ladder as her feet dangled.

"Stephanie, grab my hand!" Jackson held on to my ankles so I could lean further off.

"I can't!"

"Yes you can, come on!" I strained my fingers as far as they could. Carlos worked his way up the broken ladder and gave Edwards a push. Her hand met mine, but it wasn't a strong grip. She slipped away from me. "Damn it! Edwards!" Carlos caught her by her shirt, but the infect came up the side and took ahold of her legs. They started to take bites and rip at her clothes.

Her screams became muffled as I rolled onto my back. Tears began to run down the side of my face. Avery's screams were distant, as if miles away. He was leaned over the side, crying and screaming at the same time. A pair of hands landed on my shoulders and started to shake me from my trance.

"Arizona?!" I could tell it was Carlos' voice, but it was still distant. "Arizona!" It felt like he was hovering over me, but all I saw was a dark figure and a fading sky. "Come on, Arizona." With one final shake, I sat up. All the sweat gathered on my head dripped down my face and I slowly blinked my eyes.

"Avery?" I said slowly. I stood up and ran to the ladder. Jackson was about to step down on it. I grabbed his pack and pulled him back hard enough to make both of us fall on our backs hard. The roof gave in and we all fell through. Luckily, the second floor wasn't too far down. I stood quickly and clenched my weapon. When there were no signs of the diseased, I dusted myself off. "What the hell were you thinking, Jackson?!" I looked over to him sitting up in the corner. He stared off into space, not paying any attention to what I had said. Muffled whines slipped through his lips while his chest bounced from his fast breathing and crying. I went to sit beside him and put my arm on his back, rubbing it up and down for comfort.

Carlos gave him a sad look, then turned away to look through some boxes. "Guys…someone has been sleeping here."

I looked to Jackson and he motioned for me to go. When I stepped up beside Carlos, he pointed to a sleeping bag on the ground. There were a few other items scattered like a pair of socks and granola bar wrappers. I picked one up to examine. _Peanut butter…had to be Tim._

"Tim loved peanut butter granola bars." I said.

"So he's here?" Carlos asked. I looked around for an exit, but there was only the window and hole we just created.

"I don't think so. It feels pretty cold in here." I walked over to Avery and bent down, resting my head on top of his. "We have to keep going. We'll leave in the morning instead of Saturday, okay? We'll leave sooner." He nodded and stood up.

I climbed out of the window and back onto the roof. I made sure we were spread out so it wouldn't break. Once on top, I could look down the entire street. There were two more buildings with a piece of white cloth hanging from the roof. "He has to be at the last one." I mumbled.

I looked down to the smaller building beside us. The cracks between the buildings were packed with zombies. Impulse took over and I leaped for the next roof over without talking to the group. The grunts I heard behind me were signs to continue. A few buildings down and we were across from the second piece of cloth. "How are we supposed to get across?" I asked.

Avery slowly lifted his hand to a power line that started beside us and crossed the street to the building. He put his hand down and turned away to wipe his face. The line descended down so we could zip line. I took my jacket off and got on the edge of the building. I decided not to look down with all those things staring back at me like I'm a steak. I flung my jacket over the line and intertwined my hands in the sleeves. My heart started to speed up and with one more deep breath, I pushed off. Within seconds, I was hovering over the second building. I dropped down and put my jacket back on. Carlos was up next.

He hesitated a few times before finally stepping off. When he was pretty much in the clear, I turned around to fix the weapons in my pockets. I heard him scream and turned to find the line and both buildings clear of the older man. I heard his screams come from the sidewalk.

"Arizona!" Jackson yelled to me and pointed at the bottom of my building. He hopped on a fire escape ladder and made his way to me, slashing infected left and right to get to Carlos. I ripped my jacket into a rope and tied it to the roof so I could repel down. I landed messy and fell on my side, but put the pain aside and quickly got up. When Jackson and I got there, he had two infected gnawing on his limbs.

"FUCK!" I ran up and slung my hatchet into the zombies one by one until Mr. Torres was cleared. "No, no, no, no, no…" I kept mumbling to myself as I tried to shake him awake. There was a massive amount of blood coming out of a bite on his neck. Realizing, he wasn't coming back, I hung my head and sobbed. It was an ugly sob that took all of my energy. "Callie needs you! Come on!" I kept shaking him, but nothing happened.

Avery pulled me up and began to back away from him. "Arizona…" I looked up with blurry eyes and saw the mass of infected coming our way. I slowly reached into to my pocket and pulled out my handgun.

"You…MONSTERS!" I screamed and started to shoot multiple times into the crowd, not taking my time to aim. A rage had taken over me and I went completely numb. Soon, the click of an empty chamber rang in the air multiple times.

A gunshot came from behind us, getting our attention. One of the zombies dropped at our feet. It must have been coming up from behind us and we didn't noticed. We looked up and noticed a figure standing on one of the surf shops with a sniper's gun.

"I'll cover you!" He yelled. I knew that voice, but I might be hearing things from a concussion I might have gotten.

"Please be him, please be him." I whispered in Avery's ear as he held me up. We walked together in the path the guy was clearing out for us. We finally made it to the door and were let inside. I collapsed on the floors with Avery and let out a loud cry. "We have to get him, we have get Carlos! Ah-ah-haah." My cries grew worse.

"Arizona? Jackson Avery?" the guy asked.

I knew for sure now. I glanced up. "Tim?"

"Oh my god! Arizona!" His arms wrapped around me tightly.

"Ouch." I lifted my jacket and found bruises over my side. "It's probably just a rib."

"I have some medical supplies." Tim said.

I started to cry. "Oh god…Callie! I'm sorry." Jackson pulled me close.

"Who was that man? And how did you guys find me?" He searched through some bags.

I tried to piece together a sentence. "He was Callie's father."

"That chick you were dating?" He continued to grab supplies.

"Yeah, it was her dad and we lost Avery's girlfriend. Damn it! I'm so, so sorry Jackson." I looked to him, blinking away tears.

"We found him." he stated, avoiding the topic. I sat back into his chest and tried to take deep breaths, but it was extremely painful. Jackson's arm rested on his leg beside me and I noticed a huge gash on his arm.

"How did this happen?" I picked up his arm.

"I cut it climbing off the roof." He spoke of it as if nothing happened.

"So how'd you find me again?" My brother walked over and started to wrap Avery's arm with gauze after a sprinkle of alcohol. He and Avery took turns wrapping my rib cage up.

"We were on our way to San Diego to get to Texas. We went through Sacramento when we got stuck in the middle of a mass. AH!" I flinched as he tightened the bandage. "If it wasn't for Owen and Teddy, we wouldn't have made it. They took us in and have really been kind. We were going to leave for Texas, but I found your knife and they told me what you did, told me you might be here."

"Owen and Teddy Hunt?" I nodded in response "So you risked your life to come here just to _see _if I was alive?"

"Yeah, and two of us died." I started to cry again.

"Hey, listen..." his hand brought my face back up. "Where are the others?"

"They're still at the house. We didn't want to bring the entire group or…the group didn't want to come."

"You guys drive?"

I could no longer speak properly, so Jackson spoke up. "Yeah, our car is half a mile south of here."

"Damn. You guys walked all the way up here?" Tim asked in disbelief.

"Kind of, we boat hopped 'til we saw the shop and your shirt waving." Avery hugged me in his arms. Normally, I would be opposed to this type of contact with Jackson, but I lost my coat and I liked his warmth. "How do we get back, man?"

"You're telling me. I've building hopped around these parts." Tim replied. "I set up some C-4 to get rid of those bastards, but I dropped the remote near that freaking ice cream store."

"The explosives still set up?" Avery asked.

"Don't even think about it." I said.

"It's going to be our only option." he fired back.

Things were quiet for a moment. "Yeah, they're still set up." Tim said softly.

"I'll get the remote." Jackson and I spoke at the same time.

"The hell you will!" Avery said.

"We can both get it." I suggested.

"Tim and I can get it."

"I'm sorry, but I'm staying here. I've watched _too _many men die out there." Tim was always a baby when it came to some things, but he kicked ass as a soldier. I couldn't blame him for not wanting to be around man-eating zombies.

"We can both get it." I repeated.

"Arizona…" Tim started.

"How far are they set up?" I asked. My body cried in pain as I got up from the ground

"They're set up until the building beside us."

"Okay, let's go. "

Avery and I stepped out. We immediately started slashing throats and faces. I heard someone following me. I looked back and saw my brother helping out. "You guys are some crazy bastards." he huffed after dropping another infected.

"I see it!" I slid between one of the monster's legs, slicing them as I went. I grabbed the remote.

"Oh my…" Avery's eyes went wide. I followed his glance and saw at least a hundred more coming around the corner.

"Retreat, retreat!" My brother yelled.

We worked our way back to the shop. The guys made it way quicker than me because I couldn't breathe. I stopped and held my side as I tried to get air into my lungs.

"Arizona!" They both yelled.

I turned to see four or five reaching for me. I caught a glance of Carlos on the ground across the street. _Fuck it._ I turned my back to the infected and closed my eyes with my thumb over the ignite button. I pressed it.

My head was throbbing. My head was throbbing and it felt like my spine had been ripped through my back. Everything else was numb. A buzzing noise rang in my ears over mumbled voices.

"Arizomma? Cun yuuu earrras." I couldn't make it out. Everything sounded slurred and was followed by the ring. I let a moan out so air could get into my lungs.

I tried to keep my eyes closed, hoping I would pass out and rid my pain. Trying to be somewhat aware, I let my eyes peek through a thin slit in my eyelids. I was hovering close over scattered, dead bodies. I didn't understand. I could feel my feet being dragged across something, so I wasn't flying. I closed my eyes and opened again to see blurry green under me. My chest hit a surface and I just laid there. I'm sure this would be my death, whatever was on my back. It had to be an infected biting me or something.

I heard mumbled voices and sounds of water splashing. Next, an extreme pain hit my arms and back. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Sizzling sounds filled the atmosphere behind me. _Was that my body making those sounds?_ I wasn't sure because I was pulled into the darkness I had been hoping for.

**This chapter was longer than I thought, but I didn't want to chop it into parts so I hoped you enjoyed it and where it went.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Pay attention, the point of view is going to change between Callie and Arizona. It's only for this chapter unless I need to do it later. Here you go! :)**

**Chapter 11**

**Friday, January 3****rd**

**Callie's POV**

Arizona has been gone for one day and I'm already going crazy. I've kept myself busy by organizing supplies and rearranging the living area. I sat down on the couch and drank some old coffee, thinking about when we met. It was the first day of my history class at a new school and I was nervous. She made it so much easier that day.

"_Alright class, settle in." Mrs. Webber said. "My husband is very busy and I don't feel like sending anybody down there today."_

_I took my seat quietly behind a tall, short-haired guy. He turned around when Mrs. Webber began writing notes on the board._

"_Hey, you must be new. Mark Sloan." He shifted his hand over the back of his chair. I gently shook it._

"_Callie." I said softly._

"_Callie..." he added._

"_Torres." I finished._

"_Well Callie, it's nice to meet you. Maybe I could show you around. We could exchange numbers and I'll show you the town. There's a place with these amazing burgers and…"_

"_Mark Sloan. I hope I'm not hearing you flirt with our new classmate." Mrs. Webber interrupted._

"_Uh…no…no ma'am." His faced turned completely red._

"_Good." She continued with her class._

_I leaned over my desk so I was in whispering distance. "And just to let you know…you're not really my type." Mark gave me a curious look, and then went back to his notebook._

_I started to glance around the room at my fellow peers and the history maps on the wall. My eyes fell on a blonde sitting in the back, furiously taking notes. She was kind of cute and the way she stuck her tongue hung out the side of her mouth only enforced it. She sat back and leaned to the girl sitting beside her and pointed at the board. It seemed like she was asking a question. Her eyes went to Mark then to me and I thought for sure I was busted. She glanced back to her notebook for a quick second before staring back to me, as if she was doing a double take. I quickly faced the front, but had to look back once more to see if she noticed. The blonde gave me a smile and a tiny wave with her fingers. It was my face turning red now._

_The class ended and I walked outside and took out my schedule. I had no clue where this room was. I began looking for Mark; maybe I did need his help._

"_Hey." I jumped at the voice behind me. The blonde from the back of the class came around to face me. "You need help finding a class?" She smiled and it was magical, super magical._

"_Uh…yeah, actually." I fumbled with my paper._

_She seemed to pick up on my worry. "Sorry. I'm Arizona Robbins." Her smile continued to chisel into my heart._

"_Callie Torres."_

"_Let's look at your schedule, Callie." We shared my paper for a moment. "Oh yeah, no problem. Just go up the stairs, third hall, second class on the left." I gave her an unsure look. "I have a little time, I can walk you if you'd like."_

_Without a second thought I replied, "Sure."_

_On our way up the steps, Arizona explained all the people to avoid and the ones to befriend. Apparently, Derrick Shepard was a master at holding study sessions. We arrived to the hall and she pointed out the room._

"_Um…here's my number in case you need to know anything else. Just text me." She ripped a piece of paper off and handed it over._

"_I heard there was a place with good burgers in town. Maybe you could show me that too?" Whoa, slow down Callie._

"_Sure. It's the best." She smiled again. That smile was going to kill me. "Have a nice day." She winked._

_I turned and began walking towards the classroom. My face was buried in the piece of paper with Arizona's number, so I failed to notice the "Wet Floor" sign. I slipped…and I fell. A long breath came out as I stared at the ceiling. Arizona's face popped up and blocked my line of view. "Looks like you need some more help." Her hand reached for mine and pulled me from the ground. She then continued to help me gather the books that flew from my hands._

It was on from there; cheesy movie dates and late night study sessions at her house. Arizona was always kind and supportive. She also had the ability to know when someone was upset and made sure they were taken care of. I started to think of all the times I needed her and she was always there. Except I needed her now, I needed her here to protect me and keep me warm.

Miranda walked in with the baby in her arms. The crib we made out of a box and old rocking chair parts was moved into the living area after a bug problem in her room. We left Owen to take care of that.

"You just get her to sleep?" I asked.

"Yeah." She placed her in the crib. I walked over and stood beside Bailey, looking down upon the baby.

"Wow." It was all I could say about a baby who has been through so much in such a sort amount of time.

"She's beautiful isn't she?"

"Si, muy bonita." When I looked down, it came to me. I'm not sure where, but it felt right. "Maria. We should name her Maria."

Without looking up, Bailey nodded. "Maria." Owen came jumping down the steps behind us, making a good amount of racket. "Hey! Can't you see this baby sleeping?"

"They're back." He said out of breath.

My jaw dropped. "I...I thought they weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow?"

"Me too, but the car just pulled into the development."

Soon, we were all outside, waiting for them to come through the gate.

**Arizona's POV**

I was still in so much pain. I was lying on my stomach in the back of my car, and I only knew that because it smelled like the cappuccino Kepner spilled one day when I was taking her and Callie to school. I heard my brother and Jackson speak, but I didn't mind trying to decode what they were saying. I tried to mumble a few words of my own. "Jaa..Jack.."

"Hold on, Arizona. We're almost home." I understood that. _Home._

"Cal…Ca…Calliiii. Callio…pe" Callie, she was the one I wanted. She probably would put me out of my misery after I tell her about Carlos.

The car stopped. I closed my eyes and let my other senses take over. Two sets of masculine hands grabbed my arms and pulled me out. I couldn't stand up so I let them take my full weight. Both of my arms wrapped around stubbly, upper back necks. I must have lost my shoes because I could feel my bare toes being drug across the pavement. The air hit my back and I moaned in pain.

"Shit. It huuurts." I mumbled through my gritted teeth.

"We're almost inside the house Arizona." Jackson reassured me.

I heard the gate to the house open and assorted voices yelling out. They were all worried and fast, I couldn't keep up. Two soft, gentile hands cupped my face and I immediately knew who it was. The anxiety over her father and what she must be thinking piled onto me and I left consciousness once again.

**Callie's POV**

Arizona was in terrible shape. Her back looked like a rabid animal dug into her skin over and over. The backs of her arms had matched and had skin peeling off. The two holding her up were Jackson and who I assumed was her brother. "She get bit?" I asked frantically.

"No." her brother quickly replied.

"Where's daddy…and Stephanie? Where's my dad and Stephanie at?!" Jacksons gave me a sad glance and I fell back into the grass as they carried Arizona in. "NO! No, no, no." Tears began to stream down my face. Aria rushed to be beside me and put her arm on my back.

"Come on, Callie." Her voice was soft and I could hear her start to cry.

Jo and Aria picked me up and we went into the living area. They had laid Arizona on her stomach on the coffee table and ripped her mangled shirt off. Miranda began poking around at certain spots.

"I'm going to need to operate. I have instruments in my bag" she said.

"Operate?! What the hell happened out there?! How could you let this happen?!" I ran up and pushed Jackson hard on his arm, forcing him to take a few steps back.

"Come on." He stepped between me and Arizona's limp body. "Everybody to the kitchen…now."

Everyone but Bailey and Tim reported to the kitchen. Aria and I sat holding hands at the table. Jackson sat beside of us and gave my shoulder a pat.

"What the hell happened out there?" This time, I was demanding and my voice was angry.

Jackson put his hands together and twiddled his fingers. "There were signs of Tim at this boat repair shop. The street was filled; I mean…hundreds of them out there. The city was burned down. It was just awful." He hung his head. "We found a ladder and were going to come in from the side so we wouldn't be seen. Then I…I dropped the ladder, it made noise, and… it was all my fault."

His eyes began to tear up. I only hung out with Jackson because he was friends with Arizona, but he never seemed like the type of guy to cry very often. "Jackson…" I wanted him to continue, hoping they somehow left my father to bring Arizona back.

"Arizona and I made it to the top, but our weight made the ladder crash. Stephanie…Arizona and Carlos tried to catch her, but she fell. Damn bastards were waiting for her." He let a few cries out but tried to cover them with a cough. "Only way across the street was to zip line on a power line. Arizona went, then when Carlos went…"

"No." It was all I could say.

"He slipped and…"

"No, no."

"They got to him…"

"NO." Aria and I huddled together as tears and cries exited our bodies.

"Before Arizona and I could get to him. I'm so sorry Callie."

"Arizona…what happened to Arizona?" One of my loved ones came back and she wasn't in the best shape. I didn't want to lose two important people.

"Tim had planted some C-4 and never had the guts to retrieve the remote to set it off. We teamed up and…went after it." His voice was still cracking up. "Arizona hit her side, jumping to get Carlos so she was running slower than Tim and I. We made it back to safety, but Arizona was still out there with the remote. Next thing we know…the C-4 went off."

"Oh my god." I clapped my hand over my mouth.

"It killed every one of those bastards. When we looked over the bodies lying in the streets, Arizona was with them. Her back was burnt badly, but she was still breathing so we took her to the water and splashed her back. The smell…it was terrible and when the water splashed on her back, it made these disgusting sizzling noises. She's been falling in and out of consciousness the entire trip back. I'm sorry Callie."

All I did was nod.

Aria cleared her throat and spoke up. "I'm sorry about Steph, Jackson."

_He_ nodded.

Everybody surrounded me and Jackson, offering us comfort. Hours passed as Bailey worked on Arizona's back. We were all silent, not wanting to mention anything about what happened or what was going on in the room beside us. After what seemed like years, Tim walked into the kitchen.

He took a deep breath. "The doctor out there said Arizona may not wake up for a while, but as long as we keep cool towels and burn ointment on her back, she should be fine." He place both palms of his hands on the counter and leaned back, looking around the room. "So where are my mom and dad? Arizona said the rest of you were here."

"Man…" Jackson started. "We went looking for them a month ago, but…"

"Damn it." We went over to the cabinets and punched one of the doors. It was so sudden, making everyone jump. When he pulled back, you could see a dent made in the strong wood. Tim stormed out before we could say anything.

"He's always had anger issues." Jackson sighed out.

"I'd like to say the Army helped, but…I've seen him do some pretty bad things." Owen added.

"Is he a decent guy though? He's not going to bash on his sister's girlfriend right?" I asked.

"Oh no, Tim is a loving guy and loves his family." Teddy said.

"Probably why he assaulted the cabinet." Jackson said last.

Miranda walked into the kitchen and we all gave her our attention. "Her back and arms are severely burned. She's unconscious for now, but I'm positive she'll wake up. We need to get her to a bed where she can lay on her stomach and get her body some nutrients."

"She can sleep in my bed." Jackson offered. "I usually end up on the couch and since Stephanie's gone…" His voice trailed off.

"Sounds good, and it's on the bottom, so she'll be able to get around easier once she starts moving around."

"What about me? I'm not leaving her alone." I insisted. Arizona needed the bed to herself, but I was going to be in the room with her.

"Um…you can take the couch cushions. I'll make it up for you and I'll get the bed ready for Robbins." Jackson offered.

"Okay. Thanks." I whispered back. Avery got up and left the room.

**Arizona's POV**

My pain had gone down. I could feel something wet and cold on my back. My head was starting to hurt from the ringing noise coming back.

"Mmhhmm." I moaned out.

"Arizona?" I could hear my name, but it was muffled, like I had headphones in with no music playing.

"Arizona? Can you hear me?" I turned my head, creating major pain in my back, but I turned so I could see the rest of the room and not the beige wall. My eyes were squinted so I could only see so much and even that was unclear. "Arizona? This is Bailey, can you hear me?"

"Mmm." I moaned.

"Good. You've got some burns on your back, but I've cleaned you up and put some burn ointment and a cool towel. You need to stay off your back for now okay?"

"Mmm." _Burns, that would explain the extreme pain._

Bailey stepped to the side. "Arizona? Can you hear me?" I could tell it was Callie's voice, but I couldn't make out her face. It looked like a blob of with brown hair and pink lips. She placed her hand on top of mine, right beside my face. My hands where facing down, one hand on each side of my face, like I was surrendering to a cop.

"Ye…eeh." I was trying my best to communicate with her. It was hurting me more not being able to talk with Callie.

"They put us in Jackson's room. He's right down the hall, so if you need to get up, he can help."

I remained silent.

"Arizona?" She started to brush the hair off my face.

Tears filled my eyes and I was no longer able to see Callie's figure. I wanted to ramble on about how sorry I was and that it was all my fault and I would understand if she hated me.

"What's wrong? Why are you…Arizona." Callie bent down closer to my face and let tears fall to match mine. "You don't have to say it, I know. And it was his choice to go, not yours."

My breathing picked up which made my back scream in pain and my face flood with wetness. "I…mmm…so…sorry Cal." I managed to say that. I had to let her know.

"Don't. Save your energy." I squinted in pain. "We named the baby. Maria. I'm not sure where I go it from, but I thought it fit." Callie added.

"Mmm, beautiful" I mumbled.

I could feel Callie's smile in the atmosphere. I covered her hand with mine blindly and squeezed it tightly. She gave me a sip of what tasted like water with fruit. They must have mashed some fruit together so I could eat something.

"Everything's okay, go back to sleep."

I knew things weren't "okay", but I was still so tired. The last thing I felt before going to sleep was a kiss on the top of my knuckles.

**Callie's POV**

Arizona was sound asleep, but there was no way I could sleep now. I went into the living area and sat on the couch arm below Jackson's feet.

"Need something, Torres?"

I sighed and hung my head. I feel like I could cry again if there was any more liquid in my tear ducts. Some tears were for daddy, some for Arizona, some for Stephanie, and some for being so damn tired of running from these things that have taken over the entire western coast. "We need to go to Texas." I said. "Miranda said we were running out of medical supplies and Arizona would need more treatment than she can give alone."

Avery sat up. "Yeah. I'm just not sure if we should move now. We're safe here and Arizona's going to be laid up for a while. We need to get here though; I'm just not sure when we should make the move."

I just sat there and zoned out. There's hardly anything to live for any more. Arizona, she was the only thing worth living for. "I'm just glad she's alive."

"Me too." Jackson cleared an area off the couch beside him. "Here, sit."

I walked over and sat beside him. We sat together quietly, with my head resting on his shoulder, not wanting to talk. Tim walked in from outside and sat in the chair beside us.

"Is she doing okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, she just woke up and mumbled a few things. I gave her a sip of juice and she went back to sleep." I looked over to Tim, taking in his full appearance for the first time. He was a built guy and looked tough. I haven't seen him smile, but I knew it had to be as beautiful as Arizona's. His hair was short, but not stubble. It was a dirty blonde color; darker than Arizona's, but lighter than say Jo's brown hair. There was stubble all over the bottom of his chin and neck with a five o'clock shadow above his lips and cheeks. His eyes were light blue to match the rest of the Robbins family. I wasn't sure about his age, but he had to be a few years older than his sister, maybe in his mid-twenties. He was wearing a grey worn U.S. Army shirt, baggy camouflage pants, and dirt-covered black boots.

"So…you're Callie, huh?" I didn't know if Arizona talked to him often, but he must have known we were together.

"Yeah."

"She's told me a lot about you. She told how you guys would sneak out on the weekends, said she was eager for me to meet you. I've never heard her talk about a girl so…delicately. It's like she was becoming poetic or something. It was kind of gross, but I can see it now." He paused for a while and I wasn't sure if I should I speak up. "She loves you."

"I love her." I stated.

"That's good to hear. And I'm truly sorry about you farther and Jackson's girl." Tim hung his head in his hands, rubbing his face.

I couldn't talk about my dad right now, so Jackson took over. "Dude, you saw how bad it was out there. Hell, if Arizona didn't set off the explosions when she did, we probably wouldn't be here either."

"I just wish it was me with a messed up back. If I wasn't such a pussy, I would have set that C-4 off when my group was still down there. It would have saved so many lives." Tim rubbed at his face harder, as if he was getting upset.

"It's going to be alright, Tim." I said softly. "I'm happy you guys came back though, and you brought my girlfriend back. If we can just make it to Texas, we'll be fine right?" Maybe Tim new more about what was going on down there.

"Texas has been kept up nicely. I had a friend who was down there when this all started. He told me about how they've set up different districts in the major cities; Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso… He was set in El Paso, said the Mexican border had fallen, but once all the healthy were over, they regained control and it was keeping infected from coming over. Apparently, Mexico was hit hard, the entire country was infected. All of their wild life was killing their people and acting strange. They were still unsure about where it came from, but it's unusual in the way it's spreading, going up the coast like it did. Some might have thought it was in the water, but our guys tested different samples and it's not the case."

"So it started in Mexico?" I asked.

"Yeah. I know it may seem crazy to find safety in such a state so close, but it's the most protected right now. My guy down there said the districts have a medical center, a food distribution center, a place to get clothes and blankets….it's all down there."

"You think we could make it?"

"This group? Hell yeah. You guys have three soldiers, an all-star football player, my badass sister…we could easily make it to Texas."

"When should we go?"

Jackson interrupted. "Have you seen our supplies, Callie? We're running out and more of the infected are making their way up here. I know if we do move it has to be soon."

"I'll talk to Owen and Teddy, but we need to start packing. I understand you guys have a baby, but if you want that baby to survive, we need to get a more safe shelter and the right food." Tim suggested.

"Right, so we'll starting getting our things together." I went upstairs to gather mine and Arizona's belongings from our old room.

**Arizona's POV**

There was a slight hammering noise which woke me up. It was a thud, like someone has hitting the wall. The ring in my ears had toned down, so it was clearer and I could tell it was coming from above my head. I moaned at the slight stiffness in my neck as I tried to look to the source of the noise. A shadow formed on the wall and I could tell it was something outside the window of my room.

I sat half of my body up with my arm. Something was going on and I couldn't let the pain hold me back. My attention went to the window where I saw a small, animal like figure on the window. I blinked a few times so my vision was sharper. It looked like a raccoon or some other small mammal. It began banging on the window harder and harder with a rock and its head. There was already a crack in the window where it had been hitting with the rock.

Another animal came up beside it and another. They all began hitting on the window until it fell into pieces. They had to be infected because no animal had the strength to break a window like that or suffer that much damage to the head and still be able to move.

I swung off the bed, letting the towel fall off my back. I realized my shirt was at the end of the bed so I reached for it then slipped it on. The fabric brushing over my burnt skin almost brought me to my knees in pain. I grabbed the tall lamp post from the corner of the room and pointed toward the group of infected critters wiggling into my room. _Oh come on! _A wave of energy hit me as I stood with the lamp in my shaky hands.

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